170-year-old Lord Hanuman idol in Ujjain refuses to budge amid relocation plans

In what devotees are calling a miracle, all efforts to remove a 170-year-old Lord Hanuman idol in Ujjain, a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, for an upcoming festival failed. Simhastha 2028 is set to take place in Ujjain from March 27, 2028, to May 27, 2028. It is celebrated every 12 years in the city. For this purpose, authorities are widening roads. The 170-year-old Khade Hanuman temple is also supposed to be relocated. A special vehicle was arranged to shift the 8-foot idol of Lord Hanuman, which is in a standing pose in the temple.

While workers removed parts of the temple, locals say the idol itself did not budge despite hours of effort. Three teams reportedly worked for 48 hours to remove the Hanuman idol but failed. It has been over four days since work started, and engineers are left scratching their heads for a solution.

They used all kinds of heavy machinery to safely remove the idol, but nothing worked. The scene turned emotional for devotees who flocked to pay their obeisance to the monkey god. Some people also claim that as workers tried to move the idol, nearly 50 monkeys gathered at the site.

Mystery of the Ujjain Lord Hanuman idol - Why is it not moving?

While devotees are calling it a miracle, saying that the lord does not want to move, engineers are faced with a tough task. Some reports on the internet suggest that the reason why engineers are finding it extremely hard to remove the idol is that it is deeply embedded in a fragile subterranean foundation. It is likely connected to old interlocking stone structures. Extreme force can crack this ancient stone. So they have stopped the use of heavy excavators and have instead deployed advanced underground scanning technology to safely inspect the base.

Meanwhile, the temple priest, Mahesh Bairagi, told local outlet MP Tak that this should be taken as a sign from God that he does not want to leave this place. "I humbly request authorities to understand the situation. Even if it is crucial to remove the idol, they should take all precautions to ensure that it is re-established just like it is right now. Unless they find a safe way to do that, officials should force it."

Some stories about the temple also claim that the temple and the idol could be much older than 170 years. Authorities do not find themselves in a catch-22 situation, where they have to navigate through people's devotion and also make the ground changes needed for the Simhastha 2028 festival.