New Delhi - An ancient Hindu temple has been placed under heavy guard after a sadhu holy man said he had learned in a dream that two thousand tons of gold was buried beneath it.
Officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will begin full scale excavations at the site, close to the late King's palace in Unnao, near Lucknow, on Friday. Initial drilling suggested the sage's dream could be true.
The "discovery" was made by Swami Shobhan Sarkar who said he had been worried about the state of the Indian economy when the late king Rao Ram Baksh Singh contacted him in a dream to tell him of the buried treasure.
"I cried the day I realised that India is going to collapse economically. I talked to my gurus, Late Bhaskaranandji and Late Satsaganandji Maharaj, in my dream. I told them that the spirit of the king still roams around the palace and pleads to me to liberate it by digging out 1,000 tonnes of gold buried beneath his palace.
"My gurus laughed at me. I argued that it may be nothing for them but it is a hidden treasure for the country. They finally agreed with me and I wrote the letter to the Prime Minister," he told India Today.
Archeologists from the ASI said they had carried out initial drilling at the site and discovered a hard material around 20 feet from the surface.
Should they discover any gold, there will be competing claims of ownership from the central and state governments and the holy man and his disciples.
Vast amounts of gold, jewellery and cash are given in donations by devotees to Hindu temples in hope that their prayers will be granted. The sixth century Lord Padmanabhaswamy Temple Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala, is believed to hold £14 billion in treasure in secret underground vaults.
The origins of any gold at the Shiv temple in Unnao is uncertain but some believe it may have been contributed to by the last King, Rao Ram Baksh Singh, who was notorious for his armed robberies of British officials and officers and was eventually hanged after the Indian Mutiny in 1857.
Police were taking no chances with the site, said Sonia Singh, Unnao's superintendent of police.
"We are providing round the clock security to the site. From Friday the area will be sealed off and only authorised persons will be allowed to enter the site," she told The Telegraph.
"There has been increase in footfall after the news spread about the treasure. We will increase the security if required to maintain law and order."