150-yr-old stepwell found in Sambhal, say officials

A stepwell, approximately 150 years old and covering an area of 400 square metres, has been discovered during an excavation exercise in Chandausi tehsil of Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal town, an official aware of the matter said on Sunday.

- Pawan Dixit

"A stepwell, around 150 years old and covering an area of 400 square metres, has been unearthed during excavation in the Lakshman Ganj area of Chandausi," said Chandausi Nagar Palika executive officer Krishna Kumar Sonkar.

The excavation follows the reopening of the Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal on December 13, nearly 46 years after it was reportedly shut down. Authorities said they discovered the structure during an anti-encroachment drive. Two damaged idols were also found inside the well of the temple, they had said.

The development comes a month after Sambhal town was rocked by violent protests last month during a court-ordered survey of a mosque that Hindu groups claim was built after demolishing a temple.

Sambhal district magistrate Rajender Pensiya said he came to know about the stepwell after a local resident and an office-bearer of one Sanatan Sewak Sangh, Kaushal Kishore, wrote to him about the stepwell on Saturday.