''There will be a dispute if I call Gyanvapi a mosque....," Yogi Adityanath had said in July 2023.
Yogi Adityanath had suggested that the Muslims should give up their claim on Gyanvapi Mosque, and a proposal should come from the minority community so that "historical mistake that was committed in the past should be corrected".
''There will be a dispute if I call Gyanvapi a mosque....those who have been given sight by the God should see....what's a Trishul (trident) doing inside a mosque?.....we didn't keep it there...the walls (of Gyanvapi) are creaming....there is Jyotirlinga," the hardliner monk-turned-politician had said.
While Kashi/Varanasi temple is to God Shiva; the Ayodhya temple is dedicated to deity Ram.
The developments related to the historic Varanasi mosque comes close on the heels of consecration of Ram temple by PM Narendra Modi and the country's polity is virtually reeling under 'Ram wave' since then. There is no room for being apologetic for being Hindu or even having faith in the Hindutva.
Critics may say while worshipping at the Ram temple on Jan 22, Modi played 'Godman'; the fact of the matter is a large number of Hindus believe Modi has been destined to do the puja. It is again a matter of faith and probably communists, atheists and non-believers will not understand.
But no less than L K Advani said he was just the 'chairoteer' of the Rath Yatra of 1990, but its pre-destined that Modi will perform the historic puja. And the moment truly marked civilisational turning point -- a real epoch making episode.
Talking about G20 Delhi Declaration, a few days back, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said, "even on the day the Resolution was adopted, the general thinking was this is not going to happen....Why did it happen? This is a question I ask even myself even though I was involved in it".
Then he said, "I think it happened for two reasons....one we actually decided that in a sense that we would raise the stakes, we will create so many outcomes in the G-20 that no body really wants to be the person who pulled it down..... Second was India's own way. When I say, India's own way, I ask you a question, there are G-20 leaders in the room, who is going to say NO to Narendra Modi. It was as simple as that".
This is new Bharat.
Moreover, the influential Rashtriya Sawemsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has already termed the inauguration of Ram temple as the start of Hindu-rashtra (nation) -- perhaps meaning replacing the 'secular republic'.
PM Narendra Modi and his party find the moment 'amazing'. It marks the return of Ram Lalla to his 'home'. "Hamare Ram Lalla aa gayen haen," said Modi on Jan 22, 2024 in his emotive speech at the temple venue. Of course, they believe this Temple will help Modi record a unique win in general elections this spring. The Pran-Pratishtha (consecretion) was essentially a religo-cultural event.
Indologist David Frawley adds his argument: "Why did the Mughals choose famous Hindu temple cities like Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura to build their mosques if they weren't building them on destroyed Hindu temples? Clearly their mosques were political monuments to their rule over Hindu India".
Going by such arguments, BJP leaders say, there is a good reason to believe that the Babri masjid-Ram temple issue was never an issue of conflict between Hindus and Muslims. In fact way back in 1990 when BJP stalwart L K Advani launched a nationwide campaign with his 'chariot drive', he had said explicitly:
"The fact of the matter is Babar came there and his military commander brings down the Temple and built a Masjid. This is not a mere battle of Mandir-Masjid. It's a battle of India's Victory and defeat)".
Now analysts can pretty well appreciate that the movement to build a Hindu temple at Ayodhya was hardly an end in itself. It was just a first step and a road map to reach an end.
Thus, in 2024 India is thinking like a 'Hindu-rashtra' and admittedly it has plunged into an era of public assertion of Hindu supremacy over Muslims in particular.
A rational commentator and a retired school teacher at Ayodhya -- requesting anonymity - says, politicians are falling in line. "The smart politicians like Nitish Kumar are hence joining the bandwagon led by Modi simply because it is the winning side".
But there are others who say in 1992 Vigilantism thrived and a Masjid was grounded.
Of course, post-Babri demolition, at least 2,000 people were killed in sectarian riots across India after Dec 6, 1992.
But the Ram temple movement - which is now seen as return of Hindu assertion in Hindu-majority India - has been directly linked to growth of Modi's BJP.
It was also marked gradual decline of opposition Congress and the communists.
India is poised for parliamentary polls in spring this year wherein Hindutva icon Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term in national elections. In her Presidential address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Jan 31, President Droupadi Murmu said, "...In the last 10 years, India saw the completion of several works towards national interest that had been awaited by the people of the country for decades.The construction of Ram Temple was awaited for centuries. Today, it has become a reality...Abrogation of Article 370 from J&K is history now."
Hindus are loving at the manner things are spanning out.
Modi came to power in 2014 and his stint has been largely seen as the period of Hindu reawakening.
Muslims are the largest minority group in Hindu majority India. Commenting on the Ayodhya temple inauguration and now the new court order, Varanasi-basedTushar Bhadra says, "The Opposition Congress boycotted the Ayodhya temple inauguration and within a week since Jan 22, they have lost three alliance partners in crucial provinces of West Bengal, Bihar and Punjab".
He adds: "You can judge the political tempo. The celebrations that started on Jan 22 will continue for sometime and it rivals the Hindu festival Diwali. After court orders vis-a-vis Gyanvapi mosque there were fire crackers in Varanasi even on Jan 31 evening....But we have to take a closer look. Does these really mark the end of India's experiments with secular democracy as was understood in 1947".
Court allows Hindus to pray inside disputed mosque in Modi's constituency
The Gyanvapi mosque is one of several Islamic places of worship that Hindu activists, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP and the Sanghparivar fountainhead RSS have sought for years to reclaim for their religion.
The Gyanvapi Masjid was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Empire in a city where Hindu faithful from across the country cremate their loved ones by the Ganges river. It is also a global Hindu pilgrim city. A district court in Varanasi, Modi's parliamentary constituency, on Thursday (Jan 31, 2024) ordered that Hindu worshippers — who believe the 17th century mosque was built replacing a 'destroyed temple' dedicated to God Shiva — would be allowed to pray in the building’s basement.
Prayers in Gyanvapi Masjid complex which were last offered in December 1993 will now have to resume within the next seven days, said the judge A K Vishvesha. “The District Magistrate, Varanasi is directed that puja (prayers) be done by a priest — named by the Kashi Vishwanath Trust and the plaintiffs — of idols at the western cellar," the order said.
“District Magistrate, Varanasi/Receiver is directed to get pooja, Raag-bhog of the idols in the cellar, the property in question, on the south side of the building situated at Settlement Plot No. 9130," it said.
The administration has started taking initiatives at the court orders. Hindus say Mughal emperor Aurangzeb understood to have destroyed the old "Kashi Vishwanath Temple" and built, over its ruins and remnants walls, in 1664, the "Gyan Vapi Mosque", named after a well - "Gyan Vapi Well". It is also known as "Well of Knowledge", or the Well of Wisdom'. The word 'Gyan' is wisdom for Hindi..
Varanasi District Magistrate, S Raj Lingam, who handles administrative job, told reporters: “The (Varanasi) court has given us 7 days. The order has come today. Further proceedings will be done once we go through it. Security will be heightened as per the situation".
The Hindu plaintiffs say the worship in the said 'cellar (basement)' by Hindus continued till December 1993 when the state authorities "without any written orders" stalled the Hindu side praying.
Documents 'as claimed by Hindu side' claim fragmented statues of Hindu deities and inscriptions in Persian recovered by the officials of Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) suggest in crystal clear manner that the Gyanvapi mosque was constructed atop the ruins of a Hindu temple.
Welcoming the verdict, counsel for Hindu petitioners, Vishnu Shankar Jain, said,
"In this cellar puja (Hindu way of worship and offerings) took place unhindered till December 1993.
But ....in violation of the Section 3 of the Places of Worship Act, in 1993, the worship puja of Hindu
side was stopped".
The impact of the court order is that now the Hindus will "get back their right to worship in the place
after 30 years", he said.
The Islamic Centre of India chairperson, Maulana Khalid Rasheed reacted to the judgement saying
that he was "disappointed" with the Varanasi court order and said the Muslim side had the option to move
higher courts in the matter.
Hindus say the area in the 'mosque complex', where it has been allowed to do worshipping
was originally known as "Vyasji Ka Tehkhana".
According to the petition, mosque has four "tehkhanas" (cellars) in the basement, out of which one
was in the "possession of the Vyas family who used to live there".
It is said in 1669, Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, descendant of Babar, ordered the demolition of the Shiva temple.
The Ayodhya temple that was destroyed by Babar and a Masjid set up on the spot was grounded on Dec 6, 1992 by Hindu mob during the peak of Ram Janmsthan (birthplace) Temple movement launched by BJP's L K Advani and others.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) last week found that a 17th century mosque was built in one of Hinduism's holiest cities after destroying a Hindu temple. Hindu side's counsel Vishnu Shankar Jain said the 800-page ASI report had found that based on the survey and the study of architectural remains, artefacts, arts and scriptures, "it can be said that there existed a large Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure."
"Remnants of the statues of Hindu gods have been found in the basements during the court-ordered survey," he said.
There is a law prohibiting conversion of any place of worship (Places of Worship Act, 1991) and provides for the maintenance of religious character of places of worship as they existed on India's independence day on August 15, 1947.
The 1991 legislation, however, made the exception of the Ayodhya shrine. In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya - which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on Jan 22, 2024.
ends
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