📷 Image: TOI City (via NewsData)
Religion
Ujjain’s 170-year-old Khade Hanuman idol resists relocation amid road‑widening, 4 attempts fail
✍️ TOI City
🗓 08 Sep 2026, 10:39 AM
👁 35
Four attempts to move the 170‑year‑old Khade Hanuman idol during Ujjain’s road‑widening project have failed, prompting officials to seek archaeological advice.
The municipal corporation’s road‑widening scheme in Ujjain has hit an unexpected snag: a 170‑year‑old Khade Hanuman idol that stands in a small temple on the proposed alignment. Engineers deployed heavy‑duty excavators and hydraulic jacks on four separate occasions, but the stone figure remained immovable, halting the construction schedule.
City officials, acknowledging the statue’s cultural and religious value, have halted further mechanical attempts. A temporary canopy now shelters the idol, while senior officials have called in archaeologists and heritage experts to devise a method that respects both the structure’s integrity and the community’s sentiments.
Devotees have gathered around the protected site, offering prayers and interpreting the resistance as a spiritual sign. The authorities have assured the public that any relocation will be carried out only after a detailed assessment, which may extend the road‑widening timeline but aims to preserve the historic monument.
The incident underscores the challenges of urban development in heritage‑rich cities, where modern infrastructure must often be balanced against centuries‑old religious landmarks.
City officials, acknowledging the statue’s cultural and religious value, have halted further mechanical attempts. A temporary canopy now shelters the idol, while senior officials have called in archaeologists and heritage experts to devise a method that respects both the structure’s integrity and the community’s sentiments.
Devotees have gathered around the protected site, offering prayers and interpreting the resistance as a spiritual sign. The authorities have assured the public that any relocation will be carried out only after a detailed assessment, which may extend the road‑widening timeline but aims to preserve the historic monument.
The incident underscores the challenges of urban development in heritage‑rich cities, where modern infrastructure must often be balanced against centuries‑old religious landmarks.