Neelkanth, Alwar, Rajasthan India

Neelkanth is a very old temple town, with temples dating from the 6th to the 9th centuries AD. It used to be a happy little town in those days but then something strange happened, and the town was deserted. The temples gradually got covered by forests, and came to be visited by the four footed only.

In the 1950s, some villagers from a nearby place happened to come upon these old structures. Seeing the beautifully sculpted pillars lying waste, they carried them back with them to build their huts. It was then that the news spread, and excavations began. So far only about a quarter of the temples have been recovered.