There is increased excitement regarding the survey report of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the Gyanvapi Mosque of Kashi.
The Hindu parties want to worship inside the mosque and hope that the premises will eventually be handed over to them. However, the patrons of the mosque are expressing confidence in the judicial process.
Meanwhile, Acharya Satendra Das, the chief priest of Ram temple, has given a big statement on this matter. He said that there are similarities between the temple-mosque dispute of Ayodhya and the Gyanvapi dispute of Kashi.
He said, ‘ASI’s survey report played a big role during the Ayodhya dispute, the same has to happen in the case of Gyanvapi also.’
Acharya Satendra Das said that both these cases are similar. He said, ‘The court has ordered to make the evidence of the temple public.
This proves that there was a temple there earlier. In such a situation, the court should consider the evidence and build a temple in Gyanvapi. Earlier Hindus used to worship there, once again the same worship should be done. The evidence found by ASI cannot be denied.
The comments come a day after the ASI survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex was made public, in which the lawyer representing the Hindu litigants claimed that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a pre-existing temple.
Gyanvapi site should be handed over to Hindus: Giriraj Singh
BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Muslims should hand over the Gyanvapi Masjid site to Hindus and no such statement should be made which may disturb the communal harmony.
Singh said, ‘Pran Pratistha in Ram temple was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sanatanis have welcomed it, but our demand has always been Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura.’
He claimed that I would appeal to my Muslim brothers that when all the evidence has come to light, then hand over Kashi to Hindus, so that communal harmony is maintained. We have not demolished any mosque after independence, but there is no temple left in Pakistan.
‘Grand Hindu temple demolished during Aurangzeb’s reign’
In fact, a court in Varanasi ruled on Wednesday that the ASI’s survey report on the Gyanvapi Masjid complex adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple will be given to both Hindu and Muslim parties.
Vishnu Shankar Jain, counsel for the Hindu petitioners in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi case, said copies of the 839-page report were provided to the parties concerned by the court late Thursday evening.
He claimed that it is clear from the reports that the mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, a grand Hindu temple, was demolished during the reign of Aurangzeb in the 17th century. After this a mosque was built on his remains.