In Brief:
- Heavy machinery could not move the eight-foot idol at Khade Hanuman Temple in Ujjain's Bada Sarafa market despite the surrounding structure being dismantled.
- The relocation is part of a road-widening project extending the Kanthal-Gopal Mandir corridor from 9 to 15 metres for Simhastha 2028.
- Archaeologist Raman Solanki noted the statue is carved from Malwa basalt and may date back nearly 1,000 years to the Paramara era.
- Experts believe the idol was anchored deep into the ground using a traditional hole-drilled locking stone technique.
- Municipal officials have paused operations and called in technical teams from IIT and SGSITS Indore to analyze the foundation.
Municipal authorities in Ujjain have hit an unexpected technical standstill in their attempts to relocate the eight-foot idol of the historic Khade Hanuman Temple in the Bada Sarafa market. The relocation was initiated to widen the busy stretch between Kanthal and Gopal Mandir from 9 metres to 15 metres in preparation for the Simhastha 2028 congregation.
Although the temple's outer structure was carefully dismantled following ceremonial prayers, heavy cranes and earthmoving equipment failed to lift or shift the central statue. Visiting archaeologist Raman Solanki explained that the idol is crafted from specialized Malwa basalt and was likely installed using an ancient interlocking stone system, where holes were drilled into underground rock layers to secure the foundation deeply into the earth.
Solanki added that the sculpture could date back to the Paramara dynasty, potentially making it nearly a thousand years old. Ujjain Municipal Corporation has temporarily suspended all physical removal efforts and summoned engineering experts from IIT and SGSITS Indore to perform ground scans before resuming work.
