Sambhal: ASI team assesses progress of excavation work at ancient stepwell

Sambhal (UP): A team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the site of the ancient step well in Chandausi here on Wednesday to assess the progress in excavation work which entered the fifth day.

The ASI officials are studying the structure and the best approach to continue the excavation work.

Krishna Kumar Sonkar, the executive officer of Chandausi municipality, spoke about the difficulties being faced during the exercise.

"Today marks the fifth day of excavation. Our ASI colleagues are here studying the site and evaluating the next steps. Given the complexity of the structure, JCB machinery cannot be used, so manual labour is being employed. So far, the step well's structure is emerging clearly, but it's hard to predict how long this process will take," Sonkar told reporters.

The stepwell, approximately 125 to 150 years old and covering an area of 400 square metres, was unearthed during excavation in the Laxman Ganj area of Chandausi here last week.

The excavation follows the reopening of the Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal on December 13, after remaining closed for 46 years.

According to local sources, the stepwell was constructed during the reign of the maternal grandfather of the king of Bilari.