Rare Shivling Recovered from Ganga in Varanasi, Believed to

Varanasi: An unusual discovery in the sacred Ganga River has attracted widespread attention in Varanasi after fishermen recovered a large Shivling from their fishing net near the Domari Ghat area of Sujabad-Domari Ward on Sunday morning.

According to local sources, a group of 19 fishermen from Domari had cast a large fishing net into the river when they noticed it had become unusually heavy. Initially believing that a large catch of fish had been trapped, they spent nearly an hour pulling the net back to shore. To their surprise, they found a massive Shivling entangled in the net along with the fish.

News of the discovery quickly spread, drawing a large crowd of devotees and local residents to the ghat. The fishermen handed over the Shivling to Lal Babu Nishad, the priest of the nearby Ganga Temple. The artifact was cleaned, ceremonially bathed, and worshipped before being installed in the temple. District Project Officer Darshan Nishad also visited the site after receiving information about the find. He stated that the Shivling features a unique design and appearance that is not commonly seen among Shivlings installed in Varanasi.

Temple priest Lal Babu Nishad believes the Shivling may date back to the Mauryan period and could be around 2,500 years old. However, he emphasized that this is only a preliminary assessment. The matter has been reported to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is expected to conduct a detailed examination to determine the artifact's actual age, origin, and historical significance.