Gyanvapi Mosque: Worship begins in basement hours after court order

Varanasi District Court in India on Wednesday said the Hindus have the right to worship at a cellar in the basement of Gyanvapi Mosque in Uttar Pradesh. Although the court asked the authorities to make arrangements for Hindus to be able to pray there within seven days, worship took place in the basement within hours of the court order. The district authorities said worship took place at 3:00am on Wednesday.

With this, a new chapter has started in the debate centering Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Gyanvapi Mosque. District Judge Krishna Mohan Pandey issued the order yesterday, on his last working day before retirement.

The Hindus hold a meeting with Varansi district administrator S Rajalingam and district police commissioner Ashok Jain at 12 at night yesterday. The meeting finalised the arrangement of the worship which was conducted at 3:00am.

The Gyanvapi Mosque authorities decided to go the higher court challenging the district court’s ruling but the worship started before the move.

Former journalist Padampati Sharma, who lives near the mosque for a long time, told Prothom Alo on Thursday morning that devoted Hindus are very pleased with the court order. They have decided that worship would be conducted on the basement exactly when worship takes place at Vishwanath Temple from today. Security has been beefed up at the premises.

According to Hindus, Gyanvapi Mosque was constructed in underground cellars of Vishwanath temple. Yhe cellars belonged to ‘Vyas’ family and hence named 'Vyas Ka Tekhana'.

The district court ordered to stop worship on the ‘Vyas Ka Tekhana’ after the demolition of Babri Mosque 30 years ago. Bishnushangkar Jain, one of the key lawyers of the Hindu side, told journalists, “Our rights have been established finally after so long.”

Akhlakh Ahmed, member of the mosque committee, said what is happening here is unjust.

He claimed that Vyas family never worshipped in the basement and there were no idol in the place.

The court on Wednesday said the remaining Hindu idol on the basement should be protected. The court said the district administration should make arrangements for worship within seven days and priests of Kashi Vishwanath trust board can supervise the process.

Earlier, Archeological Survey of India conducted a study on the mosque premises at the behest of the lower court. The report of the study was shared with both Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus who filed the case said the study revealed that the mosque was constructed on a column of the Hindu temple. The study also found out 34 inscriptions.

Hindus demand that a ‘Shiv linga’ found in the premises is studied. The Muslims claim the 'Shiv linga' was a fountain.