UP: Shobhan Sarkar, The Saint Who Sent ASI On Quest For 1000 Tonnes Of Gold Passes Away; Know His Bizarre 'Treasure Hunt' Tale

The saint who sent Archaeological Survey of India on a gold-digging spree in Unnao, because of his bizarre dream, passed away. Know the Unnao gold treasure incident here.

UNNAO, INDIA - OCTOBER 18: ASI and GSI officials began excavation work at the ruins of a 180-year-old temple adjoining a fort belonging to erstwhile Bais Rajput rulers in Daundia Kheda village on October 18, 2013 in Unnao, India. The details about the 1,000-tonne gold treasure believed buried under the temple were revealed by a priest Swami Shobhan Sarkar who had a dream about it. Following the dream, he wrote to the President, Prime Minister, Archaeological Survey of India and other authorities. The ASI which drilled two bore-holes said that at the depth of 20 metres, their drilling was obstructed by something which was not earth. (Photo by Getty Images)

New Delhi: Baba Shobhan Sarkar of Uttar Pradesh who came into limelight after he sent Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team on an uncanny gold digging spree in the year 2013, following his bizarre dream about tones of hidden gold, passed away on Wednesday.  His dream had prompted the ASI to dig and hunt for the hidden treasure in the Dhundia Khera village of Unnao district. He had dreamed a thousand tons of gold hidden under the ground in the vicinity of Raja Ram Bakhsh Singh's fort in Dodia Kheda, Unnao. After getting the green signal from the government, it was investigated with a special device whether there is some solid element under the ground or not. The investigation suggested the possibility of finding metal under the ground. Thereafter, the ASI was ordered to excavate the area. On October 18, in the ruins of Raja Rao Rambakhsh’s fort started excavations in the palace. After 12 days of excavation, the report by the ASI suggested that the gold speck has not even hit, so the Archaeological Department (ASI) decided to stop the excavation. Thereafter Sarkar came to be known as the gold digger saint. Sarkar, however lost much of his spiritual sheen after the incident, though his devotees continued to believe in him. He was quoted by news agency IANS as telling the media, "It was the blood of my gurus which turned into gold. The blood drops had fallen on the earth when the mosquitoes had bitten my gurus." "Raja Rao Ram Baksh had appeared in my dream on a white horse and requested me to liberate him from the cycle of birth and death. He is the custodian of the treasure," he had said. How the saint managed to get the order for evacuation passed: One of Sarkar’s disciples, Om Awasthi, met the then Union Minister of State for agriculture and Food Processing Charan Das Mahant, and convinced him about Sarkar''s spiritual powers. A few days later, an order was issued to excavate the site. The ASI teams started digging the area and thousands thronged the site to witness the emergence of gold. However, after several days of digging when no trace of gold was found in the area, the operation was called off. Also Watch: Even God Balaji has run out of money during the #Lockdown | ABP Uncut