Gyanvapi Masjid latest update:The events coincide with the Muslim side’s announcement that it will file a challenge to the Varanasi court’s ruling at the Allahabad High Court.
On February 1, the Varanasi District Administration made sure that the Varanasi Court’s ruling was followed, enabling Hindu worshipers to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex. The mosque’s Vyas Ka Tehkhana (basement) barricades were unlocked, and pooja was conducted first thing in the morning.
The events coincide with the announcement by the Muslim side that it will file a challenge to the Varanasi Court’s ruling with the Allahabad High Court. Akhlaq Ahmed, the counsel for the Muslim side, declared, “We will appeal the decision to the Allahabad High Court.” The 2022 Advocate Commissioner report, the 1937 decision that favored us, and the ASI report have all been disregarded by the order. There is no proof from the Hindu viewpoint that prayers were said prior to 1993. That particular idol does not exist there.
In regards to this order, attorney Merajuddin Siddiqui declared he will appeal to higher courts.
“I refuse to comply with such an order. The District President and the District Magistrate collaborate closely. We’ll take legal action to combat it. The purpose of this is to gain political advantage. The identical strategy that was used in the Babri Masjid case is being used now. Nothing was inside, according to the earlier reports from the ASI and the Commissioner. The decision has left us extremely dissatisfied,” Merajuddin Siddiqui remarked.
He went on to say that there is no proof that prayers were offered before to 1993.
Hindu worshipers were permitted to say prayers inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex’s “Vyas Ka Tekhana” region on Wednesday by a Varanasi court. The district administration has been ordered by the court to make the required arrangements within the next seven days.
The Hindu side’s advocate, Vishnu Shankar Jain, told ANI that puja would begin in seven days. Everyone will be permitted to conduct puja.
The Hindu side is permitted to pray at “Vyas Ka Tekhana.” Within seven days, the District Administration must make provisions, according to Mr. Jain.
Four “tahkhanas” (cellars) make up the mosque’s basement; the Vyas family, who formerly occupied one of them, still owns it. As a hereditary pujari, Vyas had requested permission to recommence performing pooja inside the tahkhana.
Gyanvapi history
What is the story of Gyanvapi?
The core premise of these lawsuits is that a mosque was built in its place after a Hindu temple was destroyed in the past.
The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign is credited with the most recent incident of destruction. “Medieval India: From Saltanat to the Mughals” historian Satish Chandra states that Aurangzeb ordered the temple to be demolished as a measure of punishment and because he believed it to be a source of rebellious ideas.
As Chandra’s work details, this resulted in the destruction of several temples and the construction of mosques in their place.
At least twice before, the temple was threatened with destruction. The site was taken over during the short and turbulent reign of Queen Raziya (1236–1240), following an attack by Aibak in 1194 CE, which led to the construction of a mosque, as historian Meenakshi Jain notes in her book “Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples.”
The temple was rebuilt under Akbar’s leadership before being destroyed once more under Aurangzeb’s control. Remarkably, part of the temple was purposefully kept as the back wall of the mosque, which paradoxically got called the Gyanvapi mosque after the holy place it stood on.
The Gyanvapi Mosque and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple are currently located near to each other, which is a reflection of their complex history of destruction and reconstruction.
