According to reports, the survey found that materials on the walls of parts of the mosque indicated the presence of an ancient temple
‘Big Shivling’ found in ‘wazu khana’ of Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi during videography survey
This is not the first time Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque has been at the center of a row.
Something similar happened 26 years ago. In 1996, the mosque’s survey was carried out for the first time.
What was revealed in 1996?
According to ABP News, the survey was conducted on 30 July, 1996.
The commissioner of the court during the survey was Rajeshwar Singh and the plaintiff was Somnath Vyas, the report added.
According to reports, the survey found that materials on the walls of parts of the mosque indicated the presence of an ancient temple
However, the ABP report states that surveyors were not able to carry out the probe in the structure’s cellars. This was because the authorities had not given them the keys to the basement.
According to ABP, the Nandi and Gaurishankar Maheshwar wells are located in front of the gate leading to the basement.
Vijay Shankar Rastogi who had filed a case in connection to the mosque in 1991, told ABP that the authorities had sealed several parts of the mosque.
According to News18, Rastogi in his petition argued that the mosque was built on a 2,500-year-old temple by king Vikramaditya.
The eventual survey was preceded by several controversies.
Sohanlal Arya who tried to conduct a survey on 18 May 1996, told Aaj Tak that his team had to return after 500 people gathered at the mosque.
In 1991, several petitions were filed before a Varanasi court in which local priests asked for permission to worship in the Gyanvapi area, News18 reported.
In 1997, a trial court in Varanasi ruled that the petitioners’ redress was restricted by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
The Gyanvapi Mosque
The structure was built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1699. It is located adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Over the years, several petitions have been filed claiming that the mosque was built by demolishing parts of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
With inputs from agencies
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