NEW DELHI, Jan 27: The international working president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Alok Kumar has demanded that the Anjum Intezamia Masjid Committee, the trust which looks after the management of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, should now ‘respectfully’ shift the mosque to another appropriate place and hand over the original site of the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple to the Hindu Society.
Referring to the survey report of the Archaeological Survey of India on the Gyanvapi mosque, Mr Alok Kumar said, the “ASI, an official and expert body, has submitted its report to the District Judge hearing the Gyanvapi matter in Varanasi. The evidence collected by the ASI from the Gyanvapi structure reconfirms that the mosque had been constructed after demolishing a magnificent temple.”
Mr Kumar added that the Shivlinga in the Wazukhana leaves no doubt that the structure does not have the character of a mosque. The discovery of the names including the Janardana, Rudra and Umeswara in the inscriptions found in the structure are the tell-tale evidence of this being a temple.
“The evidence collected and the conclusions provided by the ASI do prove that the religious character of this place of worship existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and as at present is of a Hindu temple. Thus, even as per Section 4 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the structure should be declared as a Hindu temple.” Mr Kumar added.
The VHP, apart from calling mosque to be handed over to Hindus, also suggests that the Hindus should be permitted to offer ‘Sewa Puja’ to the ‘Shivlinga’ found in the Wazukhana area of the Gyanvapi mosque. The right-wing organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh hinted that such “this righteous action” would be an important step towards creating amicable relations between the two prominent communities of India.
The ASI’s report based on the Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) technology, maintained that the western wall of the Gyanvapi mosque is the remaining part of the huge Hindu temple. The report also proves that parts of the pre-existing temple including pillars and plasters were reused with modifications to extend the span of the mosque and in the construction of the sahan.
The report stated that the Arabic-Persian inscription found inside a room in the mosque mentions that the mosque was built in the 20th regal year of Aurangzeb (1676-77 CE). Hence, the pre-existing structure appears to have been destroyed in the 17th century, during the reign of Aurangzeb, and part of it was modified and reused in the existing structure.
“Based on scientific studies/ survey carried out, study of architectural remains, exposed features and artefacts, inscriptions, art and sculptures, it can be said there existed a Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure,” the ASI added.
The ASI had done the GPR survey on the orders of Varanasi district court. Both the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court also uphold the ASI survey of the mosque. The apex court however, asked the ASI to not to touch the Wazukhana area of the mosque where Hindu bodies claim, a Shivlinga exists. The Muslim side had termed it a fountain.
(Manas Dasgupta)