Major fire at Ujjain's Mahakal Temple, darshan temporarily suspended
What's the story
A major fire broke out at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Monday afternoon.
The blaze was so fierce that it was visible from almost a kilometer away.
The flames erupted on the roof above the temple's Shankh Dwara and CCTV control room.
The fire created panic in the vicinity and four fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot.
Response
Fire brigade swiftly controls blaze
The blaze was controlled in about 20 minutes of intense effort. No casualties have been reported yet.
Darshan was temporarily suspended, but resumed soon after the situation was controlled.
The fire is suspected to have started from a battery kept above the temple's CCTV control room.
The battery might have overheated or malfunctioned, said Pratham Kaushik, Mahakal Temple Administrator.
Investigation
Officials assess damage and investigate cause
The blaze also completely damaged the Pollution Control Board's Air Quality Monitoring System at the site.
Senior officials, including Collector Roshan Singh, SP Pradeep Sharma, Mahakal Temple Administrator Pratham Kaushik, and Municipal Commissioner Ashish Pathak, visited the site to assess the damage.
It was reported that 15 minutes prior, the batteries at the pollution control board's air quality management system exploded, which caused the fire. However, the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.