A case of hurting religious sentiments has come to light in Koteshwar Mahadev mandir located under Lanji police station of Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh. A Deputy Sarpanch has been accused of urinating on a Shivalinga of the Koteshwar Mahadev mandir.

It is noteworthy that the Koteshwar Mahadev Temple is located near the border of Chhattisgarh state, about 65 kilometers away from Balaghat district. This mandir was built in the 11th century, and it is recognized as one of 108 Upalingas and is also known as the shrine of Dadhichi Rishi.

It is also included in the list of monuments of national importance of the Archaeological Survey of India. People from far and wide come to this temple to have darshan and Kanwariyas also come to offer water.

According to Lanji police station in-charge Dinesh Solanki, Deputy Sarpanch of Didhauri village Shankar Lal Lilhare, aged 55, had reached the temple at around 4 pm on Friday. He urinated on Shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum of the mandir.

The people present in the temple caught the Deputy Sarpanch and handed him over to the police. The police have registered a case against the accused Deputy Sarpanch for hurting religious sentiments and arrested him.

The Archaeological Survey of India has included it in the list of monuments of national importance. Being an Upalinga temple, this temple is the center of faith for the devotees. A fair is organized in the month of Sawan and Kanwariyas come from far and wide to offer water.

A large number of Shiva devotees also come for darshan every day. There is an atmosphere of anger in the area due to this incident and administrative and police officials are also maintaining silence.