Liquor Bottles, Garbage at Polo Forest’s Ancient Temples Reflect Gross Neglect

Historic temples such as Antarsumba Panchdev Mandir and Sadevant Savlinga Jain Temple are increasingly becoming hotspots for liquor parties and antisocial gatherings, leaving behind a trail of trash, broken bottles, and cultural disregard.

The premises of these sacred temples — which are over 600 years old and fall under the purview of the State Archaeology Department — are now littered with used liquor bottles, snack wrappers, and filth. What should be a site of historical and spiritual reverence now resembles a dumping ground, posing safety hazards for both tourists and researchers.

Heritage in Ruins

Polo Forest is home to five clusters of ancient temples, located near Antarsuba village, Abhapur, and deep within the forest itself. Of these, the temples near Antarsuba Bridge are in the worst state, plagued by unchecked littering and zero on-site supervision.

On Sunday, a liquor party was allegedly underway inside one of these ancient temples. Tourists who attempted to visit reported that broken glass and discarded alcohol bottles made it unsafe to even approach the sanctum. One visitor said, “We couldn’t even step inside. The ground was covered with glass, and the place reeked of alcohol.”

Locals Raise Alarm Over Inaction

Residents and frequent visitors have raised concerns about the absence of regular cleaning or security measures at the site. They claim that groups of anti-social individuals routinely gather at the temples for late-night drinking sessions. Despite crores spent by the government on developing tourism infrastructure in Polo Forest, there appears to be no consistent local-level upkeep.

The situation has become so dire that visitors now fear encountering snakes and scorpions amid the piles of garbage. Ironically, the temples, which were once painstakingly restored by the Archaeology Department, are now crumbling once again due to human indifference.

A Dying Legacy

Polo’s temples are considered among Gujarat’s most significant heritage tourism destinations. Restoration efforts in recent years aimed to revive their historical value. However, the present condition of the Antarsuba temple clusters stands in stark contrast to those efforts.

A disappointed tourist remarked,

“If this kind of architecture existed in a European country, its value and maintenance would be unparalleled. Sadly, we fail to protect our own heritage.”