‘150-year-old’ stepwell, historic tunnel connected to Banke Bihari Temple found in Sambhal | Bareilly News – Times of India

BAREILLY: In Sambhal’s Chandausi town, the excavation of a 150-year-old stepwell in the Laxman Ganj locality continued for the second day.
A tunnel was discovered on Saturday, which is believed to be connected to the Banke Bihari Temple.
District magistrate Rajender Pensiya said, “The temple will be renovated and encroachments in the vicinity will be removed. If needed we will write to ASI to determine the age of the structure.”
In the Muslim-majority neighbourhood of Laxman Ganj, excavation continued on Sunday to uncover a buried stepwell located a short distance from the Banke Bihari Temple.

The DM, along with Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar Bishnoi, also inspected the site on Sunday. The DM mentioned that the revenue department’s records indicate the stepwell covers an area of 400 square metres and is registered as a pond.
According to the locals, the stepwell was constructed during the time of the King of Bilari’s maternal grandfather. It has three levels, with two made of marble and the top level made of bricks. It includes a well and four chambers. The stepwell is said to be 150 years old.
People belonging to the minority community said that the tunnel is connected to the 1857 uprising.
They claimed that this tunnel dates back to the time of the 1857 rebellion and the revolutionaries used this tunnel and underground chambers to escape from the British.
When the British were oppressing the revolutionaries, they used the tunnel to flee and save their lives.