Mumbai: The Archaeological Survey of India is going places, literally. Barely a week after unearthing rare copper plates linked to two powerful ancient dynasties, the ASI struck ‘history’ again - this time at the famed Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik district, officials said. In a stunning discovery during an ongoing conservation drive, ASI archaeologists found an old stone Shivalinga resting in the silent depths of the temple’s historic Amrit Kund, a massive water reservoir where it remained submerged beneath years of silt, mud and stagnant water. The Shivlinga emerged into view only after the ASI team drained the lakhs of litres of water and undertook an extensive desilting operation in the Amrit Kund. Resting silently at the bottom of the nearly 20-metre-deep reservoir, the ancient relic left conservation experts plus archaeologists astonished and the locals excited. Since it was lying at the bottom of the 65-feet (20-metre) deep Amrit Kund, it is not immediately clear if the Shivalinga will be extricated from there and relocated to a new terrestrial site, or make its way to some other location or a museum. The water tank will be again filled up to the brim as the current monsoon gets underway. It was constructed by Peshwa Balaji Bajirao-III, revered as Nana Saheb, between 1755-1786 AD along with the reconstruction of the main Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple that was destroyed by the Mughal army between 1680-1690 AD. The discovery marks the second major archaeological breakthrough by the ASI in a week. Last week, the ASI had announced the recovery of two rare copper plates belonging to the Chalukyas of Navasarika (655–750 AD) and the Traikutaka dynasty (388–495 AD), from the World Heritage site of Elephanta Island off Mumbai, shedding fresh light on western India’s ancient political and cultural history. ASI to revamp Red Fort The ASI this week announced that it will carry out major restoration drives at 140 of Delhi’s 170 protected historical monuments, including the historic Red Fort from where the Prime Minister addresses the nation on Independence Day (Aug. 15) every year. The other sites are: Humayun’s Tomb, Purana Qila, Begumpur Mosque, Kotla Maqbara, City Wall and Hauz Khas complex. The works will comprise big and small repairs and conservation at all these monuments over the next few years.
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