'Treasure hunters' dig a 20-ft deep tunnel inside ASI-protected site in MP

BHOPAL: Suspected treasure hunters carved a clandestine tunnel inside Narwar Fort, an ASI-protected site about 300km north of Bhopal and 40km from Shivpuri district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh.

The shaft, roughly 20ft deep, surfaced behind Maa Pasar Devi Temple, residents said on Monday. Bushes had been arranged to conceal it. Police teams that reached the spot found digging tools, aerosol spray cans and blankets, suggesting occupants stayed there for days.

Investigators said that the excavation was carried out over several nights and covered up each morning to avoid detection.

There is a long-standing belief that treasure lies beneath the temple's idol. The shrine houses a reclining goddess linked to a lore about King Nala.

Local legend says the deity lay at the fort's entrance to guard a royal treasury after the king lost his kingdom, and that riches remain buried under the idol.

Officials cited a cavity near the idol that produces a metallic echo when coins are dropped into it, a detail that has strengthened the belief. Police suspect the tunnel was intended to reach this point from behind. No case has been registered yet. "Action will be taken only after a complaint is received from the authorities," Shivpuri SP Aman Singh Rathore said.
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