These temples at Bateshwar, numbering around 100, are being erected from their centuries-old debris. The ASI has already reconstructed 15-16 of the temples in the two-and-a-half years since work began in January 2005.

The site, which lies on a mountain slope, dates back to the period between the 6th and 9th Centuries when the Pratihara dynasty held sway. It is not clear when or how these temples were destroyed. The ruins were being used as a hideout by dacoits. Hence, earlier attempts by the ASI to take possession of the site had faced opposition from these gangs.

But in a chance encounter with a group of dacoits on one of his numerous rounds to the site, ASI Superintending Archaeologist, Bhopal Circle, Muhammad K K, was able to convince them about the importance of reconstructing the temples.

“We told them that these temples were of the same deities they worshipped. We tried to convince them that we were neither from the police nor their informers. Fortunately, they were able to see reason and assured us that they would not disturb our work,” said K K who, his juniors say, has been overseeing the work at the site with a missionary zeal.

The dacoits have kept their promise and stayed away from the area. Sometimes, some of them are spotted trying to keep an eye on the work from a mountain top.

Meanwhile, a dedicated team of archaeologists and workers have been giving shape to one of the most audacious tasks undertaken by the ASI. It was not the usual conservation and renovation work. The team doesn’t have any map or drawings of the temple complex.

“We don’t know what the temples looked like. We are building them almost from scratch. The key has been to keep finding stones of a similar pattern which fit in a particular structure,” said one of the officials at the site.

It’s a tedious process but the chances of stones of one temple getting used in another are remote. “They would just not fit. There would be one inch or half-an-inch of incongruity, and then we are able to make out that this stone does not belong to this structure,” the official said.

As they continue to clear the area, more stones and idols are being discovered, as also signs of more temples. “When we started work, we thought there would be about 40-50 small temples. But now, there are signs of about 100 temples and we don’t know how many more might be lying under the debris,” the official said.

Most of these are Shiva temples while a few have idols of Vishnu and Surya. It’s not clear who built this temple complex as the ASI has not been able to discover any engraving or distinct mark that could be related to a particular king.

Slowly, word is spreading about these temples and the outstanding work being done by ASI. The visitors’ book kept at Bateshwar since last year shows a marked increase in the number of visitors in the last three-four months.

Waking up to the tremendous tourism potential of the site, the Tourism Ministry last year announced a Rs 2 crore package to develop the surrounding areas, which included projects to improve access roads, putting up signages and lights, building toilets and creating the right ambience. However, work is yet to start on these projects.

Meanwhile, near Bateshwar are two more temple complexes being renovated by the ASI. Part of these temples, Peeravali and Mitavali, were standing and the ASI reconstructed the damaged portions. For a temple, Mitavali has a unique circular structure. Situated on a hilltop, it looks almost a replica of the Parliament building. In fact, some enthusiastic locals point out that the design for the Parliament was taken from this temple. But there is no evidence to prove this.