A Varanasi court on Thursday allowed videographic survey of the disputed structure known as ‘Gyanvapi Masjid’ days after the same was halted amid opposition. Varanasi’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar has issued guidelines for the same and added that the survey will now be held and a report to be submitted by May 17.
The court also refused to remove court commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra in spite of opposition from the Gyanvapi mosque management committee.
As per the report, it is also reported that the basement of the disputed structure has also been directed to be opened.
Earlier this week, the court ordered video survey of the disputed structure which is believed to be the original Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, destroyed by Mughals, was halted after Muslim mob blocked gate and prevented the team from entering the premises.
After stopping the court-directed documentation for the day in Varanasi, a videographer who accompanied the survey team involved in the process has revealed the presence of Hindu motifs including the Swastika, Nandi (bull associated with Shiva) and lotus motifs all over the outer side of the mosque walls.
The videographer said, “Today, we saw Swastik symbols at two places on the walls of the temple. There are a number of lotus symbols all over.” When asked whether he saw images of Goddesses, Ganesh on the western wall of the temple (as claimed), he said, “Yes. We saw Nandi while doing a Parikrama and other Hindu religious symbols.”
The team members said that the mob prevented them from going inside by blocking the door, and therefore the local administration officials didn’t allow them to entre the premises.
Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had ordered the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board to present on record all the documentary evidence pertaining to State surveys wherein allegedly the property was declared as waqf property. Advocate Rastogi, the appointed next friend of Lord Vishweshwar, asserted that the property was always a Hindu property as the land belongs to ‘swayambhu’ (self-manifested) Lord Vishweshwar and Aurangzeb had no right to acquire the land. The Gyanvapi Mosque is located in the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex where Hindus believe that Vishveshwara still sits in the disputed complex.