Remaining parts of an old Hindu temple": What does the ASI assessment have to say about the Gyanvapi Mosque's basements in Varanasi?

Remaining parts of an old Hindu temple": What does the ASI assessment have to say about the Gyanvapi Mosque's basements in Varanasi?

The Hindu side was permitted by the Varanasi district court to worship at the Gyanvapi Mosque's "Vyas ka Tahkhana," or southern basement. This is the Gyanvapi Mosque ASI survey report.

The Hindu side was granted permission by the Varanasi district court on Wednesday to pray in the Gyanvapi Mosque's southern basement, also referred to as "Vyas's basement."

"Everyone will have the right to worship," says Hindu advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, "...the puja will begin within seven days."

The 'Vyas Ka Tahkhana' is open for the Hindu side to worship in. According to Jain, the district government has seven days to prepare plans.

The District Magistrate was directed by the court to set up the puja and designate a priest by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust within a span of seven days. The Anjuman Intejamia Masjid Committee, which represents the Muslim side, on the other hand, said that they would appeal the ruling at the High Court.

The conclusions of the ASI were rejected by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which said that the study lacked "conclusive evidence".

For many years, Hindu community groups have misled the public about the Gyanvapi Mosque. A report from the Archaeological Survey of India that he submitted with the court and only made accessible to the plaintiff and defendant under his instructions is the most recent example of this. Qasim Rasool Ilyas, an executive officer of the AIMPLB, said, "This report was for their study as well as preparation, but by publishing it in the press, the opposition party has not only embarrassed the court but also intentionally misled the common people of the country."

The order followed a petition filed in the Supreme Court by four women of Hindu descent, asking for the excavation and scientific survey of a sealed section of the Gyanvapi Mosque. The petition was filed in the top court following the release of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report, which concluded that the mosque was not the original site of an important Hindu temple structure.

About the Gyanvapi Mosque, ASI report:

In their assessment, the ASI came to the conclusion that "a large Hindu temple existed there before the creation of the existing structure" in the 17th century, after a detailed examination of the existing structures and artifacts found from the Gyanvapi site.

According to the ASI report, "On the basis of scientific study/survey, architectural remains, accessible features , study of artefacts, inscriptions, art as well as sculptures, it can be said that a Hindu temple existed beforehand the construction of the existing structure" ,

According to the article, the western wall of the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is made of stone and adorned with mouldings, is what's left of an ancient Hindu temple.

Referencing the extant architectural remnants, the ornate moldings adorning the walls, the "Karma-rath" and "Prati-rath" of the central chamber (which some claim to represent Shiva and Parvati), a niche adorned with decorative frills on the eastern wall of the western Large decorated entrance, and the chamber itself, a diminutive entrance featuring a warped image on its door frame, the report conjectured that the western wall represents the remnants of a Hindu temple.

According to the ASI assessment, experts came to the conclusion that elements of the pre-existing temple were incorporated into the present construction after conducting a scientific analysis of the pillars and pilasters utilized in it.

The article goes on to say that both on the pre-existing building and the extant structure, ASI personnel discovered several Sanskrit and Dravidian inscriptions from the 12th to the 17th century during the scientific investigation/survey.

According to the research, "the majority of these inscriptions, which could be from the 12th to the 17th century, have been reused in the structure, demonstrating that earlier structures were destroyed along with parts of them were added later."

According to the report, various Hindu deity sculptures and carved architectural structures were discovered buried in a basement under thrown-in dirt.

"The substructure on the eastern side of the platform was constructed using the pillars from the previous temples. Basement N2 reuses a bell-adorned pillar with light niches on all four sides and an inscription dated Samvat 1669, according to the research.