In the show DNA, Sudhir Chaudhary talks in details about the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyan Vapi Mosque dispute.
Like the Ayodhya-Babri Masjid dispute, there are several other temples and mosques that are disputed. One such dispute is over the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and the Gyanvapi Masjid built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, making it the holiest of Shiva temples. It was destroyed and re-constructed a number of times in several Islamic invasions. It was last demolished by Aurangzeb.
The current existing Kashi Vishwanath temple has been built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780, and not on the original site where a functioning mosque today stands. This is an ongoing dispute in the district court.
Let us now know about some facts about Kashi Vishwanath Temple:
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and is considered to be one of the largest centres of Hindu faith.
With the arrival of Muslim invaders in India, attacks on Kashi Vishwanath Temple had begun. First, in the 11th century, Quabuddin Aibak attacked it. The temple's peak was shattered in the attack. But even after that, puja rituals continued there.
In 1585, King Todermal rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. He is considered to be one of Akbar's nine gems.
But on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1669, the temple was completely demolished and a mosque was built there.
In 1780, Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar built a new temple next to the Gyanvapi complex, which we know today as Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
But since then, the dispute has been continuing till today and the matter is also going on in the court. In 2018, the Hindu side has demanded from the court that the entire Gyanvapi complex be surveyed by the archaeological department, so that these disputes can be solved.
Let us understand what is the main controversy surrounding the Gyanvapi complex?
-The Hindu side believes that the self-styled Jyotirling of Lord Vishwanath in Kashi is present in the Gyan Vapi complex.
-In 1669, Aurangzeb built the temple as a mosque. It is known as Gyan Vapi Masjid.
-The Hindu side wants to be excavated instead of the Gyan Vapi complex, as the remains of the original shivling and the ancient temple are there.
-The Muslim side says there was no temple there. The mosque which is being disputed stands there from the very beginning.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which is worshipped now, is just a few miles from the Gyan Vapi complex. It was built in the year 1780 by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780, and not on the original site where a functioning mosque today stands. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first Sikh Maharaja, had donated 1 ton gold for the new temple’s dome. But since then, the Hindu side has been claimed for the original temple. The case is now under trial in Varanasi District Court.
-The case was filed on behalf of the Hindu side in 1991.
-Three major demands were placed. The first demand was that the entire Gyan Vapi land should be declared as a part of the temple.
The second demand was that Muslims should be evicted from there and the mosque be demolished.
The third demand was that Hindus should be allowed to reconstruct the temple in place of the original Shivling.
The trial which is still going on in the Kashi Vishwanath controversy was started in 1991. That means, it is about 30 years old. But these legal disputes are several decades old. The matter also went to court in 1936 before Independence. Then, not the Hindu side, but the Muslim side had filed a petition in the Varanasi District Court. The petition was filed by a person named Deen Mohammad and demanded from the court that the entire Gyan Vapi complex should be declared as the land of the mosque. The decision came in 1937, in which Deen Mohammad's claim was dismissed. But prayers were allowed at the disputed site. The Hindu side was not made a party in this case. But there were many evidences in this case which are very important.
After the Ahodhya verdict, the Hindu community hopes that this dispute of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi Masjid will also be solved.
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 "Kashi Vishwanath Temple")
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