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Updated May 11th, 2022 at 16:57 IST

Ujjain Mosque was earlier a Shiva Temple of Raja Bhoj era, confirms Archaeological Dept

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Atuleshanand Ji Maharaj had reportedly claimed that there is a statue of Lord Shiva and Ganesh inside a mosque in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain

Reported by: Swagata Banerjee
Ujjain
Image: Republic World | Image:self
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A few days after Mahamandaleshwar Swami Atuleshanand Ji Maharaj reportedly claimed that there is a statue of Lord Shiva and Ganesh inside a mosque in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, the Archaeological Department has now confirmed that there was indeed a Shiva temple earlier. 

The archaeological department has shown the scattered and collected remains of the time of the attack in the mosque and the surrounding area, as well as pictures inside the mosque, have also come to the fore. This comes at a time when the Gyanvapi Mosque row is already making headlines. 

While speaking to the media,  Professor Raman Solanki of the Archaeological Department of Government Vikram University said, "Thousand years ago, there used to be several temples during the era of Raja Bhoj. There was also a university and the temple was a part of that university where the students used to worship. It was later demolished."

Earlier, Mahamandaleshwar and Akhand Hindu Sena's national president Sant Atuleshanand Ji Maharaj of Aawan Akhara reportedly started a new debate by claiming that there is an ancient Shiva temple and Ganesh idol inside the mosque of Ujjain. This mosque is located at Dani Gate. Atuleshanand Saraswati Maharaj claimed that in the year 2007, he himself had entered the mosque and saw the Shiva and Ganesh idols from the time of the ancient Paramarakal Raja Bhoj.

Gyanvapi mosque row

The Varanasi court on April 8 directed a five-member ASI team to study the entire premises of the complex, the cost of which will be borne by the Uttar Pradesh government. The order is based on Vijay Shankar Rastogi's plea which has contended that the entire premises belonged to the temple alone.

Asserting that the original Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built over 2,000 years ago, the plea has stated that the Gyanvapi Mosque was constructed after the temple was demolished by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1669. The temple was re-constructed by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar in 1780. Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits courts from entertaining any petition that would alter the status quo of a religious place is not applicable to this suit, he has contended.  

Republic Media Network also spoke to an expert on the ground who detailed the transition of the area through pictures back from the 16th century. The photos of the transition are expected to be presented before the court for further analysis. "You can clearly see in this photo from the 16th century how our temple was demolished under the direction of Aurangzeb. In this from 1970, you can see how a masjid (the white part) was joined to our temple which was already there. There is no foundation of the masjid, it is joined onto our temple," he said, showing a set of images. 

Image: Republic World

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Published May 11th, 2022 at 16:51 IST

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