The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) began gold digging for a fabled treasure in Daudiyakheda (Unnao), about 150 km from here, on Friday. But at the end of the day, there was no encouraging news about any precious metal or object being unearthed. What further dispirited the mediamen and thousands of curious onlookers from nearby villages was word from the officials that there was no clue of any treasure and the excavation could go on for a month.

However, the saint, Shobhan Sarkar, who reportedly had the divine vision or dream about 1,000 tonnes of gold being buried under the Daudiyakheda fort, has sparked off more sensation with the prediction of an even bigger gold deposit at another fort. In his letter to the district magistrate (DM) of Fatehpur, Sarkar has said that about 2,500 tonnes of gold was buried under a dilapidated 500-year-old fort in Adampur village of that district.

That’s not all. He has also written to the Kanpur DM to get a survey done for treasure in the Chaubeypur and Parade Ground areas of Kanpur. The saint, known to have divine powers, has also sent the related information to the Reserve Bank of India. To assert his credibility, he has even written in his letter that he is willing to make a deposit of Rs10 lakh. He has stated that the deposit be forfeited and legal action taken against him if the treasure is not found. “We are only doing our duty towards this country. We are not obliging anyone,” Swami OmJi Maharaj, one of the saint’s oldest disciples, told mediapersons. He asked curious journalists not to be in a hurry. “You just wait and see, each and every word of his (Shobhan Sarkar’s) predictions will come true. He communicates with divine powers,” he asserted.

At the Daudiyakheda site, a 12-member ASI team headed by deputy director SP Mishra started digging at around 10 am after an elaborate havan and puja as directed by Sarkar. Sources said the mysterious saint who strictly shuns cameras and media attention had himself started the ‘puja’ at 4 am and left before other people arrived. About 20 labourers are engaged in the digging in a 30 square feet area marked by the ASI. The fort is heavily barricaded and guarded by a heavy deployment of police and PAC men. No one is being allowed near the excavation site.

ASI official SP Mishra told reporters that the entire exercise is likely to take about a month. “At this stage, I can not comment on whether there is any treasure buried here on not. But we are indeed hopeful of finding articles of historical value during the excavation,” he said.