ASI authorities, State Archaeology Dept. in Kalaburagi notified of the discovery

An ancient Lord Shiva temple with intact idols has been discovered beneath an agricultural field in Gaur (K) village on the banks of Bori stream, a tributary of the Bhima in Afzalpur taluk in Kalaburagi district.

Two sancta sanctorum and the remains of a temple constructed using huge boulders housing three Shivalingas carved on the solid rocks and imbedded in the soil, an idol of Goddess Brahmaramba, consort of Lord Shiva, an idol of Serpant God Nagaraja along with a few articles including a bell, a conch shell and other items were also found intact during the excavations taken up by villagers at the instance of the head of the Kailashalingeshwar Math, Kailashalingeshwara Swami.

The land on which the temple was found belonged to Sunil Shivappa Dafedar, a local farmer. The digging work began on February 25 and from March 5 several villagers joined in the search, according to them. Afzalpur tahsildar Dayanand Patil, who visited the spot, said that he had already notified the discovery to the ASI authorities in Dharwad and the State Archaeology Department in Kalaburagi and a team of experts either from ASI or the Archaeology Department is likely to visit the spot on Monday.

The discovery of an ancient temple, just a few feet below an agricultural field, has led to enormous excitement at the Gaur (K) village.

The excavation began as an exercise started by Kailashalingeshwara Swami, who claimed that Lord Srisailam Mallikarjuna appeared in his dream and told him that there was a temple in the village beneath an agricultural plot on the banks of Bori stream and directed him to take up the excavation work. “Initially nobody believed me in the village and it was only after I personally decided to take up the excavation work in the land of Mr. Dafedar, the villagers joined me on February 25,” said the head of the Kailashalingeshwar Math.

On March 5, the villagers during the excavation work found the remnants of some structure after digging around 2 to 4 feet and later found the entrance to a structure where the Shivalinga was first found, further excavation led to another sanctum sanctorum where the idol of Goddess Brahmaramba was found and at a distance, the idol of Serpent God Nagaraja was also found along with two more Shivalingas. The swami, an ardent devotee of Srisailam Mallikarjuna, who goes on a padayatra every year on the occasion of Sankranti, said that this was another temple of Srisailam Mallikarjuna and pointed out that in any temple three lingas were not found and the discovery of three lingas in the temple pointed to the fact that there should be at least nine more lingas on the site and wanted the government to take up further excavation. The age and other details of the temple can be ascertained only after authorities inspect the site.

Mr. Dafedar said he regularly cultivated sugarcane in the field and was proud that an ancient temple had been found there and was ready to donate the land for the construction of the temple. This year, the farmer did not take up the cultivation because there was no water in the stream. Suddenly the sleepy Gaur K. village has become a centre of attraction in the taluk and people from far and near have started making a beeline for the village to have darshan of the idols and also pay their obeisance.

Initially nobody believed me. It was only after I personally decided to take up the excavation did the villagers join meKailashalingeshwara Swami,head of Kailashalingeshwar Math