Conservationists working on the Paramara-era Shiva Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district have made a startling discovery during the structural reinforcement of the temple's base. Hidden behind a false masonry panel in the Antarala (vestibule), they found a series of Copper-inlaid stone slabs that appear to be detailed architectural and hydraulic blueprints for the surrounding region's ancient irrigation network.
These slabs provide a master plan for a complex system of check dams and sluice gates, suggesting the temple served as both a spiritual hub and a civil engineering repository. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has halted structural work to document these engravings, which are believed to be the most comprehensive surviving records of medieval Indian hydraulic management.