Abandoned Shiv temple reopens after decades

Kanpur: A Shiv Temple situated at Sundar Nagar in Jajmau, which had been closed for decades, was reopened on Monday, revealing a premises filled with debris and refuse.
The Sanatan Math Mandir Raksha Samiti, which had taken the initiative to reopen the temple, employed labourers to clear the debris. After excavating approximately four feet, they discovered the temple floor and an Argha (base of Shiva Ling). However, the Shiv Linga was missing. Ajay Kumar Dwivedi and Prem Kumar Dixit, president and general secretary of the Seva Samiti respectively, said that during the initial cleaning and excavation, they located the base of the Shiva Ling, but the Shiv Ling itself was absent. Dwivedi asserted that according to local residents, the temple possessed several thousand yards of land and was known as Lord Mahadev and Sheetala Mata temple. However, property encroachers allegedly illegally occupied the temple land, sold it, and filled temple with debris and refuse. Samiti alleged that the unlawful act was perpetrated by another community, which was a clear instance of ‘land jihad'. To address the issue, some religious clergymen recently submitted a memorandum to the police commissioner, which was deemed inappropriate. The samiti demanded that administration investigate the land attached to the temple, take action against encroachers and illegal occupants, and restore temple to its original form.