‘Today We Have Brought Forth Some Proof That There Was a Temple’, Says Gyanvapi Petitioner

New Delhi: Gyanvapi case petitioner representing the Hindu Side Sita Sahu was ecstatic over the Archaeological Survey of India's report recent finding that a Hindu temple beneath the Gyanvapi Mosque. A zealous Sahu told ANI, “Today we have brought forth some proof that there was a temple.” 

She added, "We will request a survey of the other parts too..."

#WATCH | Varanasi: Sita Sahu, Petitioner, Hindu side speaks on Archaeological Survey of India's report on Gyanvapi Case

She says, "Today we have brought forth some proof that there was a temple... We will request a survey of the other parts too..." pic.twitter.com/pT88Es1TkO

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2024

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has presented its findings to the court, providing light on the historical layers contained inside the structure, in a crucial development surrounding the Gyanvapi issue.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, speaking for the Hindu side, shared important information from the ASI report at a press briefing on Thursday. He said that the findings show the complex interaction of architectural elements between the mosque and the pre-existing temple, in addition to confirming the existence of a significant Hindu temple at the site.

According to Jain, “the ASI survey uncovered a wide well adjacent to a corridor within the Gyanvapi Mosque". One of the most startling revelations from the report, however, is “the reuse of temple pillars and plasters in the construction of the refurbished mosque”. Jain emphasized that “parts of the original temple structure were incorporated into the complex [a site that has been at the center of controversy]".

"A minute study of pillars and plasters in corridors suggests that they were originally part of a pre-existing Hindu temple... Vyala figures carved on either side of the lotus medallion were mutilated, and after removing the stone mass from the corners, that space was decorated with floral design", news agency ANI quoted Jain as saying.

"The pillars of the temple have been used in the structure of the mosque. It can be said that there was a big Hindu temple here," Jain asserted during the press conference. "The lotus symbol on the walls was removed and plastered over”, Jain further revealed.

"The ASI has said that during the survey, a number of inscriptions were noticed on the existing and pre-existing structure. A total of 34 inscriptions were recorded during the present survey and 32 stamped pages were taken”, Jain told ANI, adding, “These are, in fact, inscriptions on the stone of a pre-existing Hindu temple which have been reused during the construction and repair of the existing structure. These include inscriptions in the Devanagari, Grantha, Telugu and Kannada scripts".

"The reuse of earlier inscriptions in the structure suggests that the earlier structures were destroyed and their parts were reused in the construction repair of the existing structure", Jain further revealed, as he mentioned that “Three names of deities – Janardana, Rudra and Umeshwara- were found in these inscriptions. 

The ASI report, which was only recently submitted to the court, is a crucial document in the legal proceedings surrounding the controversial Gyanvapi Complex. The latest revelations from the ASI report - of a well and the incorporation of temple elements in the mosque's construction - are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the narrative and further investigation into the rich history of the Gyanvapi site.