By IANS,
Shimla : Some of the centuries-old temples in Himachal Pradesh that got submerged in the backwaters of the Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur town over four decades ago would be relocated, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Tuesday.
A team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the spot in February this year to study whether the temples could be transplanted, Dhumal informed the state assembly.
He said without the ASI the state cannot relocate the temples.
The ASI is planning to relocate seven to eight temples of the total 28 submerged. Some of the temples belong to the sixth century.
The chief minister said he had raised the matter with the central government a number of times keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the people.
The submerged temples include Shiva and Vishnu temples. Most of the temples become visible during summer when the water level of the Bhakra Dam reservoir recedes.
The historic town of Bilaspur was submerged in the Gobind Sagar Lake, the reservoir of the Bhakra Dam, on July 1, 1954, and the new town came up near the old one.