ASI survey at Gyanvapi Mosque: A historic dispute unfolds

Survey of Gyanvapi mosque will resume after Wednesday as directed by the Supreme Court, but no digging or invasive work will be done on the mosque premises by ASI officials

Hyderabad: A team of 30 members from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) started investigating the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi on Monday to find out if the mosque was built on top of an ancient Hindu temple.

However, the survey work was stopped for two days following an order from the Chief Justice of India-led Supreme Court bench. It will resume after Wednesday as directed by the top court, but no digging or invasive work will be done on the mosque premises by ASI officials.

---

During the survey, four women litigants and four lawyers from the Hindu side were present at the site. Security was increased around the mosque, and vehicles were not allowed within a 2-kilometer radius of the complex. However, the mosque management panel chose to boycott the survey. Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani, the general secretary of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, stated that no one from the Muslim side was present while the ASI survey was being conducted.

The survey happened at the same time as the Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by the mosque management committee. The petition challenges the Allahabad High Court’s decision, which allowed five Hindu women the right to worship inside the Gyanvapi mosque.

The Muslim side is requesting an urgent hearing for their plea, considering a recent district court order that directed an ASI survey at the Gyanvapi mosque.

Earlier, district judge AK Vishvesh ordered the ASI to submit a report to the court by August 4, along with videos and photographs of the survey proceedings. The court also instructed the use of GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) technology to survey just below the three domes of the building in question and conduct an excavation if necessary. However, the area where a structure claimed to be a shivling by the Hindu petitioners exists, known as the mosque’s wazukhana, will not be part of the survey due to a previous Supreme Court order protecting that spot.

The Masjid Committee argues that the district court’s recent order allowing the ASI survey goes against the Supreme Court’s May order, which deferred the survey of the mentioned shivling.

Historically, the origin of the Gyanvapi Mosque has been a subject of historical debate.

In 1991, Hindu priests filed petitions in a Varanasi civil court, seeking permission to worship within the complex, arguing that the mosque was built on a demolished portion of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The Allahabad High Court suspended the proceedings in 1998. However, last year, the Varanasi district court ordered a videographic survey to investigate the origins of the Gyanvapi mosque, adding a new twist to the ongoing legal battle.

According to historical claims, the Gyanvapi mosque was built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after demolishing the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the 17th century.

This supposed connection to the temple is the core of the dispute, with both sides presenting historical evidence and interpretations to support their claims.