The ASI survey at Gyanvapi mosque started.
#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) to conduct survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex today
Visuals from outside the Gyanvapi premises pic.twitter.com/VrvywzKp99
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 24, 2023
The ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, UP, has started. The ASI team reached the Gyanvapi campus at 7 am and started the process. District Judge AK Vishwesh had on Friday ordered a scientific survey of the mosque premises. On the other hand, the Muslim side has approached the Supreme Court against this.
With all the necessary tools, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) crew has arrived in Varanasi. The 43 members of the ASI team. Along with the ASI team, 4 solicitors are in attendance. In other words, each side is represented by a lawyer at the Gyanvapi campus.
Live Updates: With all the necessary tools, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) crew arrived to Varanasi’s Gyanvapi Mosque.
The 43 members of the ASI team. Along with the ASI team, 4 solicitors are in attendance. In other words, each side is represented by a lawyer at the Gyanvapi campus. Along with the survey crew, four litigants were additionally present at Gyanvapi.
Four different teams have reportedly been formed by the ASI, and each squad has already begun operating. The four teams are conducting surveys in various locations, including one team next to the western wall, one team near the domes, one team near the domes for the platform of the mosque, and one team for the premises.
Another big thing with this survey is that if needed, excavation has been allowed without damaging the structure.
What’s the situation at Gyanvapi Mosque?
Five ladies brought a lawsuit before Varanasi’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) in August 2021. He had demanded in this that he be given daily access to the Shringar Gauri temple, which was constructed next to the Gyanvapi mosque, for prayer.
According to the most recent survey, Shivling was allegedly discovered.
Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar granted the women’s petition and mandated an attorney examination of the mosque grounds. On the court’s directions, the survey was carried out last year over the course of three days. The Hindu side claimed to have discovered a Shivling here after the survey. It has been said that the mosque’s vajukhana has a Shivalinga.
However, the Muslim side said that it is not a Shivalinga, but a fountain that is in every mosque.
The Hindu side then demanded that the disputed site be sealed. It had been sealed by order of the sessions court. The Muslim side appealed to the Supreme Court in opposition to this.
The district judge was given the case by the SC with instructions to provide a decision by holding many hearings on the matter’s viability. On behalf of the Muslim side, it was asserted that this issue cannot be heard under the terms of this article and the Places of Worship Act of 1991. But the court decided it was important enough to hear.
Four of the five claimants subsequently filed an application in May of this year. It urged that the ASI conduct a survey of the entire complex, except the disputed portion of the Gyanvapi mosque. District Judge AK Vishwesh rendered a decision on this and commanded the execution of the ASI survey.
What methodology will the survey use at Gyanvapi Mosque?
The ASI team is currently inspecting the mosque’s grounds as per the court’s directions. The vajukhana where the alleged discovery of the Shivling occurred, however, will not be the subject of an ASI survey.
Ground penetrating radar and contemporary technology will be employed in this survey, according to Hindu side attorney Vishnu Jain.
The Hindu side claims that the sound of a bang comes from the ground below the middle dome inside the mosque complex. It is claimed that there may be a statue under it, which has been covered by an artificial wall.
The lawyer for the Hindu side says that the ASI team will survey the entire mosque premises. However, the sealed area will not be surveyed.
Why not a survey of Vajukhana?
During the survey of the Advocate Commission of Gyanvapi Mosque complex, it was claimed that a Shivalinga was found in Vajukhana.
In fact, during the survey, a Shivalinga-like shape was seen from Vajukhana. The Hindu side called it a Shivling and the Muslim side called it a fountain.
The ASI team that will conduct the survey will not survey this vajukhana and the alleged Shivalinga found in it. Because this matter is still in the Supreme Court. On the order of the Supreme Court, this entire area has been sealed.
According to attorney Vishnu Shankar Jain, the ASI received authorization to conduct a survey in the Ayodhya Ram temple issue in 2002. Three years later, in 2005, the ASI turned in its report.
The Gyanvapi case, according to him, might take three to six months. because, unlike Ayodhya, its survey area is not particularly extensive.
The Gyanvapi case, according to him, might take three to six months. because, unlike Ayodhya, its survey area is not particularly extensive.
But what exactly is in dispute at Gyanvapi Mosque?
The Gyanvapi Mosque and Kashi Vishwanath Temple are in conflict, just as there was a dispute between the Ram Temple and the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Of the 12 Jyotirlingas listed in the Skanda Purana, Kashi Vishwanath is regarded as being the most significant.
Sanskrit professor Dr. Ramrang Sharma, social activist Harihar Pandey, and Pandit Somnath Vyas, a priest descended from the Kashi Vishwanath temple priests, filed a petition at the Varanasi Civil Court in 1991.
According to the petition, King Vikramaditya constructed the first Kashi Vishwanath temple 2050 years ago. It was destroyed by Aurangzeb in 1669, and the Gyanvapi Mosque was erected in its place. This mosque was erected using the temple’s remnants.
If you found this blog helpful or informative, we would greatly appreciate it if you could hit the like and share buttons! please, don’t hesitate to show your support and spread the word by liking and sharing this blog with your friends, family, and social media networks. Thank you for your support!
Team Rozana updates wishes you a good future ahead. Stay connected via:
THANK YOU.
