NE NEWS SERVICE
VARANASI, MAY 16
The third day of the court-ordered videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi began on Monday morning amid tight security and a huge influx of devotees visiting the temple for Vaishakh Purnima.
“The Court commission is conducting the Gyanvapi mosque survey on the third day. We have made adequate arrangements to manage the heavy inflow of devotees to Kashi Vishwanath Temple on Vaishakh Purnima today,” Commissioner of Police Varanasi, A Satish Ganesh said.
As far as the survey is concerned, the lawyers of both sides, police officers, the District Magistrate and government officials related to the survey have reached the spot.
#GyanvapiTruthFiles | 3-day survey of Gyanvapi concludes; Hindu side claims Shivling found in mosque; Muslim side denies claim. Here's the detailed report. (@iSamarthS & @AneeshaMathur ) #GyanvapiMosque #GyanvapiSurvey #5iveLive pic.twitter.com/2mqVftpALo
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 16, 2022
This survey is being conducted in accordance with the Varanasi Civil Court’s order to continue the survey despite objections from the mosque authorities.
The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to conduct the survey and videography of the site and the same was challenged before Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the appeal on April 21. The April 21 order of the High Court was challenged in the apex court.
Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple, which is claimed to be situated inside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Mosque premises.
The order of the civil court for undertaking survey and videography at the premises came on the petition of the aforesaid.
Another petition, which was filed by one Vijay Shankar Rastogi, had contended that the entire premises belonged to the Kashi Vishwanath and that the Gyanvapi Mosque is only a part of the Temple, is also pending in the court since 1991.
Rastogi had also claimed that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple had been built over two thousand years ago and the temple was demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
‘Shivling’ found in Gyanvapi well, claim Hindu lawyers
As the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex was completed on Monday, the Hindu side advocates claimed that a ‘shivling’ had been found inside the well.
Lawyer Vishnu Jain said he would go to the civil court to seek its protection.
An advocate from the Hindu side, Madan Mohan Yadav, claimed that the shivling is Nandi faced.
“The shivling is 12 feet by 8 inches in diameter,” he added.
Heavy security was deployed as the court-appointed committee reached the spot to conduct the survey on Monday. Nearly 65 per cent of the exercise was completed on Sunday.
The advocate commissioners will submit their report to the court on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the survey of the areas of the mosque which, according to lawyers Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Jain, used to be a part of the temple was done.
On the western wall of the Gyanvapi complex, the remains of Hindu temple demolition are visible and the pictures which are the biggest proof, will be surveyed. For this, the fourth lock was opened on Monday, while the first three rooms were opened during the survey on Saturday.
Gyanvapi Mosque, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, is currently facing a legal battle. A court in Varanasi has directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to probe the structure of the Gyanvapi Masjid.
The survey is to find out the truth behind the claims of the presence of Hindu symbols of worship in the mosque complex.
