Hindus allege a shivling in the masjid reservoir, while the mosque claims a fountain

  • May 17, 2022, 10:59 a.m.

After the three-day Gyanvapi Masjid survey concluded on Monday, a lawyer from the Hindu side of the case claimed that a shivling had been found inside a wazukhana, or reservoir, on the mosque complex.

However, the mosque committee dismissed the claim and said that what was being claimed as a shivling was actually a fountain.

Aaj Tak/India Today TV got exclusive access to the images recorded during the survey.

This is the portion of the reservoir that the Hindu side says is a shivling. It is said to be 12 feet by 8 inches in diameter.

Hours after the "discovery" on Monday, a civil court issued an order to seal the area and prohibit the entry of people to the area.

Gyanvapi masjid survey:

A Varanasi court last month ordered a video survey of the mosque premises. The order was challenged, but the court ordered the ASI to continue the survey after it hit a roadblock with local Muslims opposing entry of the survey team to the premises. The court asked the survey team to submit the report by May 17.

On Day 1, four rooms in the basement were video recorded. According to sources, 50% of the survey was completed. On Day 2 of the survey, the western wall of the Gyanvapi complex, where the remains of a Hindu temple that was demolished, were reportedly visible.

On Day 3, the claim of the "discovery of the Shivling" was made and the survey was completed.

Case History

The Gyanvapi Masjid, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, is embroiled in a legal tussle. A Varanasi court directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to probe the claims of Hindu origins of the structure of the Gyanvapi Masjid.

MUSLIM SIDE 'S PLEA IN SUPREME COURT

The mosque management committee, Anjuman-e-Intezamia, moved the Supreme Court last week seeking a stay on the proceedings and an order to not make the survey and its report public.

HINDU SIDE’S CONTENTION

The Hindu side is seeking permission to worship and offer prayers daily at the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex. For this, the petitioners — five Hindu women — have demanded a survey of the complex. The Hindu party says that to prove the existence of the idol of Shringar Gauri, one has to go inside the mosque. This is the reason the survey was ordered.

MOSQUE’S ARGUMENT

The mosque management committee (Anjuman Intezamiya Masajid) says the idol of Shringar Gauri is outside the western wall of the mosque. Moreover, it claims that the court did not pass any order allowing videography inside the mosque but only in the courtyard outside the barricades.

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

Related News