The Allahabad High Court ordered the government to perform a “scientific survey,” including carbon dating of the “shivling,” which was found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi last year during a videographic survey. The court also overturned an earlier court judgement.
The Muslim side asserts that the object is a component of a fountain, contrary to the Hindu side’s contention that it is a “shivling.”
The Varanasi district court had turned down the request to carbon date the building in October 2022. However, Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra ordered the Varanasi district judge to proceed legally with the case from Hindu worshippers in addition to accepting the revision petition Laxmi Devi and three other people had filed against the district court judgement.
“The district judge passed the order without any basis as it should have called for expert opinion from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on whether carbon dating of the shivling could be done without causing any harm. Therefore, the order should be quashed,” argued Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain who appeared for the revisionists.
“The High Court has agreed to our prayer for a scientific probe of the shivling that was found inside the so-called mosque complex. The Muslim side says it is a fountain. We say it is a shivling. The court has ordered that without any damage to the shivling, analysis and study of it be done,” added Advocate Hari Shankar Jain.
Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) attorney Syed Farman Ahmad Naqvi said they will decide whether or not to appeal the High Court verdict to the Supreme Court after speaking with the mosque committee and other interested parties.
“We’ll make a choice soon. The object discovered on the grounds of the mosque will be subject to a scientific analysis, including carbon dating, after the court granted the Hindu side’s plea, according to Naqvi.
One of the holiest Hindu temples devoted to Lord Shiva is the Kashi Vishwanath temple. It is situated in Varanasi, which is frequently referred to as the oldest city on Earth, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
It is one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” and is located on the western bank of the revered Ganges. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is said to have been built by Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya, during the Gupta era.
The mosque is erected over the remains of the temple, which is clearly visible. It is thought that Qutb al-Din Aibak, Hussain Shah Sharqi, Sikandar Lodi, and Aurangzeb were responsible for razing the temple and constructing the mosque on its site.
