Did Akbar build Fathepur Sikri over a temple?

By Nikhat Kazmi
The Times of India, via News Plus

Indraprasth - Did Akbar build Fathepur Sikri over a
temple? According to the recent excavations by the
Archaelogical Survey of India, the heritage city not only
rests over a temple, but the state of the idols excavated
also point towards mutilation and defacement. According
to D.V. Sharma, superintending archaelogist, ASI ''the
fracture marks on the statues proves they were defaced by
chisels and hammers and there is evidence of a demoliton
of a temple.''

Presenting the findings of his excavations in an
illustrated talk here on Tuesday, Sharma showed slides of
the remains of a temple under Bir Chhabili Tila, a mound
near the monument along with the existence of a water
palace under the Anup Talao, within the premises of the
monument. The ASI team which began its excavation since
December has discovered mutilated Jaina images, including
the remains of a temple with rubber masonry and mud
mortar walls measuring 1.35 metres in width.

More important is the discovery of an idol of Goddess
Sarasvati with an inscription on its pedestal. According
to Sharma, the sculpture, in a standing tribhanga
posture, was fixed on a pedestal and was found damaged at
its foot, placed with its face downwards near a wall.
''The circumstantial evidence, supported by the marks
near the foot suggest that the believers tried to uproot
and remove the sculpture in advance,'' says Sharma. The
inscription dates back to 1010 A.D. and this statute ''in
Jaisalmeri stone is quite unlike the usual murtis of
Saraswati which are generally cast in marble,'' he
explains.

Beneath the Anup Talao, the team has also found a huge
jar, 12 feet high and 8 feet wide. ''We have named it
Ganga Sagar, because it was used for storing Ganga water,
during Akbar's time too,'' says Sharma.

Matching the dramatic tenor of the ASI excavations was
the reaction that followed the talk. Satish Grover,
Professor School of Architecture and Planning wanted to
know if the ASI had any policy on ''ripping apart''
ancient monuments which were part of the national
heritage. ''We all know that India is a rich and ancient
country, built on layers and layers of civilisation.
There could be a temple beneath the Taj Mahal too. Will
the ASI dig that up too?'' he queried.

Sharma however insisted, the effort was not to destroy
the present heritage but only to find out the truth. ''We
are here to correct the interpretation of palaces and
monuments, not to rip apart monuments,'' he elucidated.
But the fact thet the matter had already become
politicised was evident, when the Chairman of the Indian
Archaeological Society, S P Gupta, circulated a paper on
the excavations which concludes: ''There is ample proof
of (a) the destruction of the Jain temple, (b) the
sculptures being vandalised without exception. There is
no evidence of Hindu vandalism at the site. What is the
other language of this destruction if not 'demolishing
temples' by the Muslims.''

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