ASI Removes Idol Mysteriously Placed Inside Disputed Bhojshala Complex

New Delhi: An ashtadhatu (eight metals) idol of goddess Vagdevi (goddess of speech) was allegedly discovered inside the Bhojshala complex, a highly contentious site of religious and archaeological dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, on Saturday (June 6), reported The Times of India. The idol reportedly remained undetected for several hours before it was removed from the premises by officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

According to the TOI report, flowers, rice and other material used in sacred rites, were found near the idol, suggesting that religious rituals had been performed at the site. It is yet to be ascertained who brought the idol and when it was installed in the premises.

Also read: MP High Court's Bhojshala Verdict is Worse Than Plain Flawed: It is Predetermined

Dhar Kotwali station house officer (SHO) Dipak Singh Chohan told TOI that due to concrete ASI guidelines regarding objects allowed inside the premises of the protected monument, no police case has been registered as of now.  "Once guidelines are issued, police and other personnel deployed to guard the monument will ensure that no prohibited article reaches inside," he said.

Moreover, the incident has not been linked to any individual or organisation that may be responsible. The Bhoj Utsav Samiti has distanced itself from the incident, reported TOI. Convenor Gopal Sharma said, "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," he added.

The clandestine placement of the idol has raised new concerns surrounding the security arrangements at the site, which is monitored by ASI staff, while police personnel guard the monument's external periphery.

The complex has been a long-standing topic of conflict between Hindu and Muslim communities, with both laying claim on it as a historical site of worship. On May 15, 2026, a Madhya Pradesh high court verdict declared the 700-year-old Kamal Maula mosque an 11th century temple of goddess Vagdevi or Saraswati, dismissing the Muslim community's claims.

Also read: What the Bhojshala Verdict and ASI Survey Leave Unanswered

The May 15 order quashed a 2003 directive of the ASI which allowed the Muslim community to offer prayers at the site on Friday, stating that the mosque was built on a "pre-existing temple." As reported by The Wire, the order rests on dubious survey findings, including the misrepresentation of a Jain Yakshini Ambika as a statue of goddess Saraswati.

The order further observed that the central government may consider representations facilitating the return of the original 'Vagdevi' statue from London and its re-establishment at the site. Hindu petitioners have since intensified their demand for bringing back the idol from a London museum, calling it "more important that the Kohinoor."

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