One night during the monsoon of 1991, the rain was so heavy that
it washed away the wall that was concealing the frontage of the
Bijamandal mosque established by Aurangzeb in 1682. This masjid
is a centre of attraction in the district town of Vidisha
situated some 40 Kms from Bhopal. The broken wall exposed so
many Hindu idols that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
was left with no choice but to exavate. For three centuries, the
idols were buried under the platform, on the northern side,
which was used as the hall of prayer conducted specially on days
of Eid. Fortunately, the district collector in 1991 happened to
offer protection to the surveyors of ASI, who were otherwise
reluctant to expose themselves to the wrath of bigots. Rich
treasures of sculpture were thus salvaged. Some of the statues
were particularly splendid; some were as high as eight feet. The
work of the archaeologists, however, didnot last long. The ASI
soon received instructions to stop further work. The officer of
the ASI working on