Karnal, May 28 -- A group of activists and individuals from the Buddhist community claimed that the state government damaged the 2,000-year-old Kushana period Buddhist stupa, an ancient archaeological site on the banks of Brahmasarovar in Kurukshetra, in the name of beautification. Activists reported this as "serious and potentially irreversible damage" to the structure which now resembles a water tank due to alleged negligence by the Haryana state archaeology and museums department. Sidhartha Gauri, founder of The Maitreya Trust and a Yamunanagar-based activist said that since its discovery, the ancient site has continuously suffered destruction and neglect-first at the hands of foreign invaders and now due to administrative negligence and improper conservation practices by state authorities. He said that the department carried out excavations at the site in 2013 through archaeologist Manoj Kumar, a Kurukshetra University alumnus. Kumar said he discovered important structures at the site during excavation including temple remains, stupa remains, and other ancient structural remains. Among the discoveries was a nearly 2,000-year-old Buddhist stupa structure dating back to the Kushana period. They now assert that the original structure suffered severe damage and resembles a water tank today due to alleged mishandling and unscientific beautification work undertaken by the authorities, even before the excavation was completed. "The tourism department carried out the beautification work at the site in 2021. We have proof that they used excavators and other machines at the site, while also carrying out bamboo plantation and installing light posts near the structure, which is totally unscientific and unacceptable. Upon discovery, the stupa remains measured approximately 29 feet in diameter and presently this ancient structure has been downsized to around 22-23 feet," Gauri told the Hindustan Times. He said that a group of foreign Buddhist pilgrims from Malaysia, who visited the site in 2024, also raised doubts regarding the structure's identification and interpretation. Sulekh Manav, a Narwana-based advocate and secretary with the Buddhist Society of India, who filed a complaint before the National Commission for Minorities in New Delhi, said that the structure's present condition reflects "a dark age in the arena of archaeology" where professionals themselves commit such serious blunders. He further stated that he would launch a campaign against the alleged destruction, asserting that the incident has deeply hurt Buddhist sentiments. Similarly, Yamunanagar-based heritage activist Rajesh Kumar also raised a similar complaint through the Haryana CM Window grievance portal. The activist noted that the alleged actions violate the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964, which prohibits construction, excavation, or alteration within a protected area without proper government sanction. The activists demanded that officials connected with the project be held accountable under the law and that necessary steps be taken for the survey and restoration of the stupa's original form. Narender Parmar, deputy director, archaeology and museums department told the HT, "I've just joined the department and the works were carried out before my joining. I'm aware of the complaints, but I'm yet to read the whole report. The issue will be raised before the senior officials, who will form the committee and take further action."...