Locations differ but the story remains the same, whether it is Srinagar or Sirohi. Sample this case in Sirohi in Rajasthan. More than five years ago a group of about eight priests and politicians approached Naresh Lohar's father at Ajari to order a Hanuman idol for a temple on the Sirohi-Jallor Road.

Lohar, temple builder and proprietor of Mahadev Shilp Kala Kendra, agreed. The group handed him Rs 35,000 -- a "more than adequate advance amount" -- and promised to come back a couple of months later to take the completed idol. They also promised him that the rest of the amount would be delivered on the same day -- "ek haath mein Hanumanji, doosre haath mein paisa."

Artisans at Mahadev Shilp Kala Kendra got down to work. Their brief was to complete the idol in two months, which otherwisetakes double the time. (Finally though, they too ended up taking three months to finish the work).

Five years on, the idol is still lying in the workshop, unsold.

Naresh doesn't remember much of the episode that took place so long ago. But he recalls the men fighting among themselves to take credit for the yet-to-be-built temple.

The temple which was three-fourths completed then remains in that state to this day.

"Now they (the so-called temple builders) are at home, no one goes to the temple, no one talks about the mandir. Nor the murti," says Naresh. "The murti is ready. Only polishing is left to be done. If we do that it will look as if it is going to speak," says Naresh. If it did, he's sure, it would have some unpleasant things to say about the whole affair.