Conflict over Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Eidgah: According to ASI, Aurangzeb destroyed a Mathura temple

In response to an RTI request, the Archaeological Research and Conservation Agency disclosed details on the destruction of the Keshavdev temple by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

In response to a request for information regarding the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple complex in Mathura made under the Right to Information (RTI) legislation, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) provided a response on Tuesday. Information on the destruction of the Keshavdev temple by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb has been made public by the Archaeological Research and Conservation Agency. The previously Krishna Janmabhoomi temple complex included this temple.

"The parts of the Katra mound whose are not in the possession of Nazul tenants, on which there had been earlier a temple of Keshavdev, were demolished as well as the place was used by Aurangzeb," the newspaper The Times of India quoted ASI's response to an RTI petition.The mosque benefited from it."

The development was discovered after Ajay Pratap Singh, a resident of the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, requested information under the entitlement to Information (RTI) Act. The ASI Agra circle superintendent subsequently gave him the information.

Mahendra Pratap Singh, the chairman of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nyas, said that they would utilize the RTI reply while litigating the issue in the High Court and the Supreme Court. The findings might be significant in the current Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid debate.

We had said in our petition that Aurangzeb had given the order to destroy the temple in 1670 AD based on historical facts. The Shahi Idgah Mosque was subsequently built there. ASI has now confirmed the data in response to an RTI. During the hearing on February 22 in the High Court, we will submit the ASI's response."

Shahi Idgah Mosque vs Krishna Janmabhoomi controversy

The assertion made by Hindu organizations that the mosque was constructed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after the destruction of an earlier temple in 1670 is at the center of the dispute surrounding the Shahi Idgah Mosque and Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. They assert that Lord Krishna was born in Mathura at this location.

Other Hindu claims about the Ayodhya Ram temple and the Kashi Vishwanath temple have been linked to the controversy between the Shahi Idgah Masjid and the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

The urge to recover Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi as well as Kashi Vishwanath temple has grown since the erection of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque was approved by the Allahabad High Court in December. Later on, this order was placed on hold by the Supreme Court.