Indore: Rumours of buried treasure, allegedly fuelled by recent movie ‘Chhaava’—based on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s life, — have triggered a digging frenzy around the famed Asirgarh Fort in MP’s Burhanpur, which has no dearth of legends associated with it.

Hundreds of villagers, armed with torchlight and some even carrying metal detectors, are digging up the fields around the fort in the hope of finding Mughal-era gold. With chaos growing, police and administration cordoned off the area on Saturday and restricted entry of outsiders. The administration has sought a report on the “possibility of treasure” in the area.

Officials were alerted when videos of digging swirled around on social media. “Unidentified men reportedly dug up a field at night a few days ago in search of the coins. The administration took cognizance of the matter after a video went viral,” said collector Harsh Singh.

Nepanagar sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Bhagirath Wakhla inspected the site, an agricultural field, and found many pits dug up by treasure hunters, Singh added.

Asirgarh Fort, around 165km from Indore, dates back to 15th Century, and was the site of many battles that shaped India’s history. It has long been associated with legends of buried treasure.

Nimbola police have deployed a team to secure the field. Harun Seth, the farm owner, told the SDM that the illegal excavation has made farming difficult. The SDM said they will have the archaeological department examine the site and stressed that any archaeological artefact found will be handed over to the administration.