Last Updated:March 12, 2025, 17:56 IST Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pointed out that the holy Akshay Vat, situated inside the Allahabad Fort, was locked during the colonial rule, depriving devotees of darshan for centuries, while sacred sites like Saraswati Koop and Patalpuri remained neglected. UP CM Yogi Adityanath (PTI file image) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday took a sharp dig at the state’s previous governments saying that ancient sites in Prayagraj, including, Akshay Vat, Mata Saraswati Koop, Patalpuri, Shringverpur, and others, were encroached upon through ‘land jihad’ during their tenure. While speaking at the ‘Manthan: Kumbh and Beyond’ Vichar Sangam event, organised by the RSS-affiliated weekly Organiser, Yogi slammed that the previous governments saying that the holy city, known to be the land of Maharishi Bharadwaj and home to the world’s first Gurukul, was once controlled by the “land mafias”, who illegally took over historic sites. “This severely affected the heritage and significance of these sacred places,” Yogi said. The Chief Minister further pointed out that the holy Akshay Vat, …