'Gyanvapi is Actually Vishwanath': Yogi Adityanath's Big Statement | VIDEO

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing legal and religious discussions surrounding the Gyanvapi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a big statement on Saturday and called the complex 'Vishwanath'. "Unfortunately, people call Gyanvapi a mosque, but it is actually 'Vishwanath' (Lord Shiva) himself, " CM Yogi said while addressing an event in Gorakhpur. 

His statement comes a day after a Varanasi court rejected a petition filed by the Hindu side requesting to order the local district magistrate to repair the basement of Vyas ji located within the premises of Gyanvapi complex. The Varanasi district magistrate is the local custodian of the complex. The court of Civil Judge Senior Division Hitesh Agarwal upheld on Thursday the ongoing worship activities in the basement, and took into account objections raised by the Muslim side and a pending challenge before the Supreme Court.

The advocate of the Hindu side, Madan Mohan Yadav , stated that the “court’s ruling was based on the Muslim side’s opposition to repairs in the ‘Vyas ji ka tehkhana’ and the ongoing legal proceedings in the Supreme Court”. Despite the decision, the Hindu side plans to appeal to the district judge’s court for permission to repair the basement, Yadav said.

Yadav said worship in Vyas ji’s basement resumed on January 31 following the court’s order, allowing devotees to view the installed idols. However, the Hindu side expressed concerns over the safety of the basement due to its old and weak roof and sought the intervention of the court for repair work. They argued that Muslim worshippers walking on the roof could pose a risk of collapse and demanded that the roof and pillars be repaired. 

Gyanvapi Controversy

In December 2023, the Allahabad High Court dismissed pleas from the mosque committee that challenged the maintainability of suits related to the Gyanvapi Mosque issue, citing the Places of Worship Act and contesting the archaeological survey of the premises. These decisions by the Allahabad High Court and the Varanasi court are now under appeal before the Supreme Court. The crux of the dispute lies in the claim that the Gyanvapi Mosque, constructed in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, was built on the site of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Central to this controversy is a 33-year-old law that prohibits legal cases questioning the status of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947.