Who placed the idol?: Vagdevi murti installed inside Bhojshala temple, remains undetected for hours, removed later

DHAR: An Ashtadhatu idol of Goddess Vagdevi was surreptitiously installed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the highly sensitive Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district Saturday. It allegedly remained there for several hours before being removed by ASI officials later that evening.

Flowers, akshat and other puja materials were found near the idol, indicating that rituals had been performed. The development — which came weeks after MP High Court declared Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati — raised serious questions about security arrangements at the protected monument. Officials had yet to ascertain who brought the idol, when it was installed, and how the act escaped notice for several hours.

At Bhojshala, police personnel guard the monument’s outer periphery while ASI staff monitor the interior premises. No individual or organisation had yet claimed responsibility for placing the idol inside the complex. ASI chief archaeologist Prashant Patankar refused to comment.

In absence of concrete ASI guidelines on objects allowed inside Bhojshala complex, no police case was registered, Dhar Kotwali SHO Dipak Singh Chohan said. “Once guidelines are issued, police and other personnel deployed to guard the monument will ensure that no prohibited article reaches inside,” he said.

HC, in its May 15 order, observed that Centre may consider representations seeking the return of the original Vagdevi idol from London and its re-establishment at the site. Following the verdict, the Hindu community began offering prayers at the monument and installed a replica of the Vagdevi idol.

Bhoj Utsav Samiti distanced itself from the development. “Our organisation has no connection with the idol found inside Bhojshala. Devotees are already worshipping a symbolic form of Goddess Vagdevi that was installed earlier this month,” said convenor Gopal Sharma.