Lawyer and archaeology enthusiast Shivam Kashyap is urging the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to officially declare the 9th century temple of Goddess Durga in Mahamadpur Ilabas Dewal village, within the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, as a significant archaeological site.
The temple's sanctum sanctorum is adorned with a stone inscription in what is believed to be 'primitive Devanagari' script.
In 2018, the site gained widespread attention when a pond excavation unearthed a fascinating statue of a turtle with a distinctive conical stone on its back and a rope around it.
A village farmer, Komil Prasad, told the Times of India that the statue symbolises the ancient story of 'Samudra Manthan' - the churning of the sea by gods and demons.
In 2018, Kashyap made an initial appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who then forwarded the matter to the Agra circle of the ASI for necessary action.
Kashyap pointed out that an idol was stolen from the temple on 7 April 2019.
He told the Indian media that he had been pursuing the case with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Ministry of Culture and the Uttar Pradesh government for five years.
Renu Dwivedi, ASI, UP Circle, has instructed Rajiv Trivedi, Assistant Archaeological Officer, to visit Pilibhit and obtain from the District Magistrate the revenue records of the temple site, its structure and surroundings.