Unnao,UP, Oct 18: Uttar Pradesh will witness it’s very own gold rush on Friday. A team of the Archaeological Survey of India is all set to begin excavations at a Unnao fort of former king Raja Ram Bux Singh on Friday after a sadhu dreamt about 1,000 tonnes of gold buried under it.
Duandia Khera, a nondescript village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, led a sleepy existence until Sadhu Shobhan Sarkar claimed that there were thousand of tonnes of gold buried under the ruins of Unnao fort. The fort, he claimed, has more than 1000 tonnes of gold.
As news of the saint’s dream spread like wild fire, Duandia Khera started buzzing with activity. Archaeologists are now gearing up to begin excavations and curious villagers have been thronging the site.
However, it needs to be seen whether the excavations strike gold. But the man who dreamt about it is confident. "There is a huge amount of gold buried under the fort. I believe we will find more treasure than we have space for in Unnao," said Sant Om ji Maharaj. Shobhan Sarkar reportedly convinced Union minister Charandas Mahant of his dream, who then convinced a team of ASI and GSI officials to survey the area and begin excavations.
"We had been given proposal by the gram sabha. They think gold is buried there," said VK Anand, DM, Unnao. Unmindful of the end result, villagers are already discussing how to put the treasure to use. "If we find treasure then Raja Bux Singh’s name should be added to Daundia Kheda village and an airstrip should be opened in this village," said village headman Ajay Pal. With huge media presence at the site, the village has become a tourist spot overnight. "We have been told about the treasure.
Usually people who come to visit this place find silver coins," said Mahipal Singh, a resident of the village. Considering the sudden surge of tourists, the authorities have beefed up the security to avoid any law and order problem. One battalion of PAC has been deployed at the site to ensure that this treasure hunt passes off smoothly.