With the recent controversies about how the centuries-old mosques have been built by defiling many religious structures, Delhi-based advocates Shubham Awasthi and Saptarishi Mishra have filed a plea to the supreme court to conduct a confidential survey on ponds and wells owned by the mosques. They have also added in the petition to stop performing wudu in the ponds located in the mosque until a thorough survey takes place to find relics belonging to other religions such as Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist.
In the petition, they claimed that: “A Shivling was found at the pond/well in the Gyanvapi temple complex. It was found in the pond/well where Muslims perform Wuzu. Over the last many decades, the practice of Wuzu has continued there, which shows wilful malice towards the sacred Shivling and antipathy towards Hindu gods or relics considered sacred and worshipped by Hindus and this is tantamount to hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus”. They asked for the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) to survey the mosques.
Why has the petition for the survey been filed?
The first and foremost reason for the petition is the case of the Gyanvapi mosque. Hindus residing in Varanasi are claiming that the mosque is a part of the temple and the Mughals destroyed the old temple to construct a mosque there. This plea was filed in 1999 and resurfaced in 2019. This issue gets more intense when they find a shivling-like structure in the mosque where they perform wuzu, cleansing themselves before entering the mosque.
When the Hindu side came to know that the structure was situated in a place where they performed the cleaning rituals. While the video taken during the survey came out, it brought on intense rage from the Hindu side because of religious patriotism. The case is facing a lot of struggles to ensure that this won’t turn into a religious fight. The advocates who filed the petition for the survey of the other mosque thought that the survey could bring up many of the old relics belonging to not only Hindus, but also Jain, Sikhs, and Buddhists. They said that if the survey brings fruit in finding any such old relics, it may avoid any further unnecessary communal hatred.
The controversies around the mosque and old relics.
With the recent case going on with the Gyanvapi mosque, many issues and controversies have started to spread all over the media and the nation. While many people started to claim that the mosques which were built during mediaeval times are often built by destroying other holy places like temples and holy grounds. During the reign of Aurangzeb at the end of the 17th century, it is said that he was responsible for the demolition of the holy temples.
People around the world started to hear more such opinions about the destruction of old temples. There were also controversies revolving around the Qutub Minar where Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesperson Vinod Bansal claimed that the place was built by Vikramaditya and not Qutb Udin Aibak. He also mentioned that the Qutub Minar was built using materials that they got by destroying 27 Hindu Jain temples. He said that the Qutub Minar was Vishnu Stambh. And that can be proved with the broken sculptures and inscriptions that are carved there.
Recent news on the Gyanvapi mosque case
As already mentioned by TSA, the case about the centuries-old mosque is still ongoing with the next trial scheduled on 30th May, where the court would continue hearings from the Muslim side. The supreme court transferred the case from the civil court to the district court to ensure it is handled by a ‘slightly more mature’ and ‘seasoned hand’. They have also ordered the district court to guard the area where the shivling was found without disturbing the worshipping space for the Muslims.
With accusations claiming that they drilled a hole in the shivling to make it look like a fountain. Recently, a man tried to cut the structure with a saw to find out whether it was a fountain, but the accused was arrested by the police. Upon hearing the news of someone trying to damage the relic, BJP leader and a member of Lok sabha, Vinay Katiyar claimed that there should be severe punishment for the people who are trying to damage the Shivling.
While the relic is said to be a shivling by the Hindus and a fountain by the Muslims, the court hasn’t concluded what it might be. During the trial that is to happen on 30th May, there is a petition by the Muslim side asking that the Hindu suit shouldn’t be allowed inside the trial as there is a neglect of order inside the court. They also asked only for the petitioners, judges jury, and advocates to remain while the trial happening while they are hearing the Muslim side.
With the court ensuring to hear both the parties’ concerns and statements. The case of Gyanvapi has just brought a whole new perspective on what could have happened during the rule of the Mughals. The petition to conduct confidential surveys to unravel any secrets that might be held inside the ponds of the centuries-old mosque. It might bring either order or chaos to the already burning fire.
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