In a strange act of blind faith, the main thoroughfare near Pembarthy village in Telangana was dug up after a man claimed that he had a dream that there was a Shiva Linga underground.
Thirty-year-old Lakhan Manoj of Gundlagadda in Jangaon claimed that Lord Shiva appeared in his dream and told him that there was a Shiva Linga in that particular area and that it must be excavated and a temple needed to be constructed.
Strangely, the sarpanch of Jangaon Balne Siddu Lingam and municipal vice-chairman Nagarapu Venkat believed Manoj. “Manoj is an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and has been getting this dream since three years. He asked us to help him dig up the spot and construct the temple. He used to conduct prayers at this location every Monday. As Manoj swooned in excitement at this spot we believed him,” the sarpanch said.
Special prayers
With the support of some others, Manoj hired an earth mover and started the excavation work near Tangutur on the Hyderabad-Warangal road on Monday morning.
Special prayers were conducted before the digging began. Curious villagers also joined the excavation.
However, even after digging 20 feet, they could not find anything. The excavation created a traffic jam on the national highway and the police arrived on the scene.
They stopped the work and arrested the persons involved in the work.
West Zone DCP T. Venkanna and Jangaon ACP Padmanabha Reddy visited the site and got the pit covered. The arrested persons were taken to the police station. “Investigation is on. We will register a case soon,” the DCP said.
