Gyanvapi Mosque or Gyanvapi Masjid is the most controversial mosque of today. What is the entire controversy? Its history? Its solution? Is it a temple?
Gyanvapi Mosque
In 1669, on the orders of Aurangzeb, the famous Visveswar temple of Varanasi was completely demolished and a mosque was built from the remains and debris of the temple. This Gyanvapi mosque still stands there and the entire controversy is about this.
When Aurangzeb demolished this temple, it was a huge temple and instead of demolishing it completely, the upper part was almost demolished and a mosque was built with the help of the walls and pillars of the temple. When the ASI was doing the survey, it also came to light that in fact the temple was not completely demolished, but another dome was built on top of the dome of the temple and it was given the form of a mosque. We will see that even today, many idols or pictures of gods or Hindu beliefs are engraved on the walls and pillars of the Gyanvapi mosque. Broken idols and stone blocks of temples are kept haphazardly in the basement of the mosque. One of the four cellars was completely filled with debris. It is said that this part is under the control of the police or the army. At the time of the ASI survey, the cellar of Vyasji was the only cellar where a lot of things were still safe. Even then, some of its doors and locks were broken. The path that was going inside from there on one side was plastered with bricks and mortar. That is, the path was closed. It is said that that path was actually the path to reach the Shivling above. All these things point towards the fact that those who say that this was a temple and not a mosque, there seems to be some truth in it. Then, the discovery of a Shivling in the mosque also creates surprise. Even though the Intezamia Committee keeps calling it a fountain, but the presence of a Shivling-like figure right in front of the face of Nandi and almost above the cellar of Vyasji provides all the evidence that this mosque was built on top of the temple.
Seeing some photographs of the British period gives rise to many questions in the mind. For example, what is the use of Nandi in the mosque that we are calling a mosque? What is the use of an idol next to Nandi? There is a well inside the mosque which is also called Gyanvapi well. What is the use of a well in a mosque and then the name of any mosque being based on the Hindu pronunciation of Sanskrit, don’t you find it strange? Just imagine that a mosque in India will be named after a well located in that temple complex and it is also strange that the water of that well would be used to offer water to the Shivling in the Vishwanath temple next door.
Gyanvapi Case and Vyasji’s Tahkhana
Vyasji’s Tahkhana is a tahkhana located in the southern part of the Gyanvapi Mosque, built in a basement, where along with the Shivling of Lord Adi Vishweshwar, idols of Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu and Hanuman ji are also present and the Hindu side considers this tahkhana as the sanctum sanctorum of the original temple. So it is a big thing that the puja that is being performed there is the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and the beginning of puja there again after 31 years is a very big event. This basement is spread over an area of about 40 square feet and its height is about 7 feet and very few people know that in the year 1819 when India was ruled by the British, the then magistrate of Varanasi accepted the claim of the Hindu side on the mosque premises and said that this place should be given to the Hindu side by the Muslims. But then riots broke out against this order and to calm this matter, the British gave the basement of the mosque to the Hindus and the ground floor to the Muslims and after this dispute, the Hindu deities were worshipped every day in the basement of this mosque. But 31 years ago, in the year 1993, when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, his government stopped the puja. The Hindu side also claims that it has such proof, such evidence which proves that worship was being performed in the sanctum sanctorum of this mosque since the year 1551, that is, the Hindu side has evidence of worship being performed at this place a century before the time when even the mosque did not exist.
What kind of worship was that that was performed at midnight on 31st January? What all happened? There is no installed idol inside the basement. Only the old idols or the figures carved on the walls were worshipped there and in the morning too, devotees have started going there for daily worship. Permission has been given by the temple trust that the basement has been opened at the southern end or right in front of the Wazukhana.
Gyanvapi Temple
Gyanvapi temple was actually Vishwanath temple and it was also known as Vishwanath temple or Vishweshwar temple. There is a 10 feet deep well between Gyanvapi mosque and Vishwanath temple, which is called Gyanvapi. The mosque was named Gyanvapi mosque after the name of this well. One belief is that Lord Shiva imparted knowledge to Goddess Parvati here, so it was called Gyanvapi and since then the Gyanvapi complex is a Hindu pilgrimage.
It is said in Skanda Purana that Lord Shiva himself created this well with his trident for Lingabhishek. It is said that the water of the well is very holy, by drinking which a person gets knowledge. Gyanvapi means knowledge plus vapi, i.e. pond of knowledge. The water of Gyanvapi was offered to Shri Kashi Vishwanath.
The wall behind the mosque is built in Hindu style, which looks exactly like a temple. It is also said that when it was originally a temple, this back wall must have been a part of the main door. Hindu parties claim that the temple was demolished by Aurangzeb and a mosque was partially built on top of it. According to media reports, there are statues of Maa Shringar Gauri i.e. Parvati Mata, Lord Ganesha, Hanuman, Vishweshwar, Nandi and many other deities in the Gyanvapi complex itself. Bell figures are also made on the western wall of the Gyanvapi mosque, somewhere Shri Om etc. are written. There is also a huge statue of Nandi facing the mosque. It should be known that the mouth of the nandi is always towards the Shivling. It is said that the statue of the nandi was gifted by the Rana of Nepal. Gyanvapi well is near the statue of this temple.
According to a map, Vishwanath temple is on the right side of Vishweshwar temple, Mahadev Dandapan temple on the left and in the middle there is a hall with a domed Chhath called Baikunth. There is an inverted lotus urn and amalaka on the top of the huge dome of the mosque. Kashi city has been glorified in the verse of Kashi Khand of Skanda Purana. In the 34th chapter of Kashi Khand, verses 36, 37, 38 and 39 are on the importance of Gyanvapi. It is said that Gyanvapi is the main center of Kashi.
It is said that Maharaj Jaichandra had this temple built between 1170 and 1189, but most historians believe that King Vikramaditya built the Vishwanath temple about 2000 years ago i.e. between the fourth and fifth centuries. There have always been different opinions about who built the temple. This Shiva temple is called Vishwanath and Vishweshwar, which means the one who rules this entire universe. There is a mention of an incident in Linga Purana that demons were pulling a Shivling in the sky above Kashi city, when a cock crowed from the earth, the demons dropped the Shivling there fearing the morning.
With the arrival of Muslim invaders in India, attacks on Kashi Vishwanath temple started and the first of these attacks took place in the 11th century. At that time, the ruler of the slave dynasty Qutubuddin Aibak attacked the Kashi Vishwanath temple in 1194 and in this attack, the spire of the ancient temple was broken. Qutubuddin Aibak was the commander of Mohammad Gauri. But the big thing was that even after the attack, people did not stop worshipping at the original place of the temple. That is, the temple was demolished but the worship continued. According to some historians, the princess of the Delhi Sultanate at that time Raziyat Ud Din got this place built as Razia Masjid between 1236 and 1240 AD. In 1296 AD, a Gujarati businessman renovated this temple, it is written at many places. However, during the reign between 1436 and 1458 AD, many temples of Banaras were destroyed. Then the Sultan of Jaunpur, Sultan Hussain Shah Sakri, demolished this temple again. After this, in the 16th century (1585), Raja Todarmal rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Raja Todarmal was one of the Navratnas of Mughal emperor Akbar. Some historians also argue that Raja Todarmal rebuilt this temple on the orders of Akbar. However, according to some historians, Maharaja Mansingh rebuilt this temple in 1580-1585.
I saw the old map of this temple in a newspaper which was preserved by Vyas ji. If we understand that map, we will find that this temple was no less than a huge palace. That is, this temple was the center point of Varanasi. There were gardens all around it. The temple had many stairs and on seeing it, it seemed that how grand this temple must have been in history. But it is said that the one on whom everyone has an eye, he is also affected by the evil eye.
In 1642 (according to some historians 1632), Shah Jahan passed an order to demolish this temple. However, then Hindus protested heavily and the temple could not be demolished. Nevertheless, many temples of Banaras were demolished at that time. In the year 1669, on the orders of Aurangzeb, this temple was completely demolished and in place of the temple, a mosque was built from the remains and debris of the temple, which was named Gyanvapi Mosque and this Gyanvapi Mosque still stands there and the whole controversy is about this. It is said that Aurangzeb had demolished this famous temple and built a mosque to teach a lesson to the Kachwaha Rajputs for helping Shivaji escape from Agra jail. Shivaji was then called the Hindu emperor and Aurangzeb humiliated Hindus by doing this act. Regarding the year of demolition of the temple. There is disagreement among historians about the year of demolition of the temple. Some historians say that the year of demolition of the temple was 1669 while some say that it was 1678. According to a document kept in the Asiatic Library of Kolkata, on 8 April 1669, Aurangzeb had issued an order to demolish the temples and schools of Banaras and after this, this Kashi Vishwanath temple was demolished in September 1669. However, everyone is unanimous on the fact that Aurangzeb had demolished this temple. Aurangzeb had demolished not only this temple but thousands of temples in India during his time. He was the most barbaric and disgusting ruler of the Mughal rule who even imposed Jaziya tax to harass Hindus. That means if you believe in any religion other than Islam, then you will have to pay tax to the government for that. After the demolition of the temple, the reins of Varanasi went to the Nawab of Awadh. Maratha ruler Malhar Rao Holkar also resolved to demolish this mosque and build a temple in 1742, but due to the interference of the Nawab of Awadh, he could not succeed in this.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
After this, in the year 1780 (according to some historians, the construction year was not 1780 but 1776), Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Malwa division or Indore built a new temple along with this Gyanvapi complex, which we know today as Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is believed that the idol was consecrated in the temple in a scriptural manner and this temple was completed on the day of Janmashtami, but this temple is just a copy of the ancient temple. That is, the original temple is still located next to it, which has been converted into a mosque. Even today you will find that the wall of Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Gyanvapi Mosque is the same. However, the Kashi Vishwanath temple built by Rani Holkar now has its own identity not only in India but also in the world. This temple is also the most popular temple in India today. Later, Birla ji also built a new Vishwanath temple in the premises of Kashi Hindu University. This temple is also worth seeing and is quite famous. That is, currently there are two famous Kashi Vishwanath temples in Varanasi. However, the Vishwanath temple located in Banaras Hindu University is also known as Birla Mandir and even today hundreds of tourists visit there daily. To make Kashi Vishwanath temple a better sightseeing spot, a corridor has also been constructed which provides an easy way from the temple to all the ghats of Banaras.
History of Gyanvapi Mosque
In the year 1669, on the orders of Aurangzeb, the Vishwanath temple was completely demolished and in place of the temple, a mosque was built from the remains and debris of the temple itself, which was named Gyanvapi Mosque. It is said that many people sacrificed their lives to save the temple from demolition. Thousands of Naga sanyasis also fought so that this temple does not break, but they were also killed by the Muslims. In this way the temple was forcibly occupied.
Daulat Rao Scindia’s widow Bij Bai made an easy way to circumambulate this Gyanvapi well. He also built a circle around the well and then gave the shape of a roof over it which was called Gyan Mandap. It is said that the Gyanvapi well is connected to the Ganges river inside and is considered a holy well. During the British rule, it also came to light that many people commit suicide in it and this well was covered up to the top so that people could not commit suicide. However, this matter is controversial.
When the British took control of Banaras by removing the Nawabs in the 18th century, they kept trying to maintain the status quo between Hindus and Muslims. However, the dispute between the two sides continued to simmer. The result was that in 1809, when Hindus tried to build a small site between the Vishwanath temple and the Gyanvapi mosque, riots broke out in the city. Then this temple came to be known as Gyanvapi Mosque and it is first mentioned in the revenue document in 1883-84 as Jama Masjid Gyanvapi. In 1936, a case was filed in Varanasi District Court against the British government for the right to offer namaz in the entire Gyanvapi complex. In 1937, Gyanvapi was recognized as a mosque. Gradually the dispute started becoming political and the All India Representative Assembly started raising the issue of Kashi in 1959. In 1984, VHP organized a religious parliament for the first time in Delhi. In this, they claimed all three temples of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura. A very famous slogan used to be used then “Ayodhya is just a glimpse, Mathura Kashi is left”. The Congress government of 1991 then brought the “Place of Worship Act 1991” and brought a law to maintain the status quo of all temples and places of worship as on the day of India’s independence. After this, in 1993, the then Chief Minister Mulayam Yadav also banned the worship being done inside the mosque here.
In 1991, three people filed a petition in the Varanasi Civil High Court. This petition was regarding the dispute over the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Gyanvapi land. At that time, worship was allowed only on one day in a year, on the Chaturthi of Vasantik Navratri. However, the hearing on this petition began in June 1997 and stopped after just 4 months. The above-mentioned 1991 law was the basis for the stay on the hearing. However, after the rejection of this petition, a review petition was filed thrice. Which was again rejected by the Allahabad High Court in 1998 or it could be said that a stay was put on it. This stay remained in place for many years. In 2018, lawyer Vijay Shankar Rastogi became the plaintiff in this case. But after the Supreme Court’s decision on Babri Masjid in 2019, the case started moving again. In 2019, lawyer Vijay Shankar Rastogi again filed a petition in the Varanasi civil court citing the Babri Masjid verdict. However, the petition was opposed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee and the Central Waqf Board. The petition reached the stage of ASI survey. But in April 2021, the Allahabad High Court stayed the ASI survey order of the Varanasi District Court, citing which it was stated that the petition goes against the Places of Worship Act 1991. On April 8, 2021, 5 Hindu women filed a petition in the Supreme Court stating that they want to worship Shringar Gauri, Ganesh, Hanuman and Nandi present in the Gyanvapi Masjid premises as they were allowed to do in the past.The survey started on 6-7 May 2022 under the leadership of the court-appointed court commissioner. The survey had to be stopped after protests from the Muslim community. In the next order, the court ordered a survey of the Gyanvapi complex at all costs. The matter proceeded and in May 2022, the ASI started its survey.
Gyanvapi Mosque ASI Survey
On May 6, 2022, the survey was conducted under the leadership of the Court Commissioner for about two and a half hours, but on May 7, the survey team had to stop the survey due to opposition from the Muslim side. Then on May 13, 2022, the ASI started its survey. This survey started early in the morning. However, a few hours later, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee reached the court to register its protest, which was rejected and the survey was started again on the next day i.e. May 14. The survey was conducted from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on this day. In this, the locks of all the four basements were opened and the survey was done. The second round of survey was conducted on the next day, May 15. On this day also a survey of 4 hours was conducted. In this round, videography of the dome namaz place as well as the western walls was done. The last round of survey was conducted on May 16. This time the survey work was completed in 2 hours and on the same day, during this time, the Hindu side claimed that there was a Shivling in the premises and after this claim, the court got the Shivling place sealed.
There were many strange things in the mosque. The walls had engraved idols of gods and goddesses related to Hindu religion or beliefs or pictures of other Hindu related objects and all these strengthened the relation of this building or part with Hindu religion. The names of Shiva are inscribed in Devanagari Kannada and Telugu on the pillars of the walls. The dome that was built there, it seemed as if another dome was built on top of the dome and it seemed as if by doing this a temple was converted into a mosque. Because the height of the dome seen from below was different from the height of the dome seen from outside.
Also, when the basement was opened, it was found that there was only one basement of Vyas ji which was in a little better condition. But the basement was also damaged at many places, because about 31 years ago, worship used to be done here and Vyas ji’s family used to visit the basement regularly, but Mulayam government had barricaded the place many years ago and the entry and worship of Hindus was banned here. The thing to understand is that many broken idols, fragmented idols were lying haphazardly or here and there in the basement. The seal plates found in the debris were of Gods and Goddesses and lotus like artwork could also be seen on them. If we move from north to west, then on the central stone slab, somewhere the artwork of Sheshnag was visible, somewhere a shape like the hood of a snake was visible. Many raised figures, vermilion coloured, were visible on the stone slab. There were four doors in the basement and the cracks in all those doors were closed by placing new bricks. The artwork of trident and betel leaf symbol was carved a lot. Figures like bells were also carved.
If you remember, UP CM Yogi had once given a statement that what is the trident doing inside the Gyanvapi mosque and how are the idols of Hindu deities built there? One side door of Vyaji’s basement was covered with bricks and mortar. It seemed that the path going upwards from the basement was blocked. Let’s say that Vyasji’s family was stopped from coming inside in this way. It is said that there was a straight path from the basement which went inside. The path from where that basement has been closed actually becomes the sanctum sanctorum of the Shivling. That is, the real history is there, under whatever was closed. It seems that all this was closed long ago so that the survey team could not see it. Also, the idols or figures engraved on the walls of Vyasji’s basement are clearly visible. But in all the parts which are towards the mosque, thick mortar was applied on the walls and pillars. It appears that this was done so that the relief figures would be hidden by the thick lime plaster because the survey team could not scratch the mosque in any way. They could only do photography and videography.
This must have been in the mind of the people of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, that is why during the survey when the survey team asked about the water in the place of wuzukhaana inside the mosque, they were told that fishes are reared in it. But the survey team was not satisfied with the answer because generally no mosque has such a large courtyard for wuzukhaana, where one washes hands before offering namaaz. Due to this the survey team asked to take out the water from the place of wuzukhaana and see. On this the mosque committee said that the fishes kept in it will die. Then the survey team said that we will make arrangement for the fishes, no fish will die. After this, the work of draining out water from the place of Wazukhana started and then a mystery started emerging, the mystery of Gyanvapi Shivling, which we are telling further.
On January 25, 2024, ASI submitted its report to the District Judge of Varanasi. According to this report, there is a mention of a Nagar style Hindu temple before the mosque. In this report, the construction of the temple has been envisaged on pillars. According to the report, there is a mention of the entrance, mandap and sanctum sanctorum of the temple. In the CPR survey, a broken emerald-like object was found beneath the main place of the mosque. Among the elements found in the mosque, many idols were made of stone. Among them, the maximum were 15 Shivlingas, 18 human statues, three animal statues and 93 coins of different periods and 113 metal objects were found.
Gyanvapi Shivling
When the water was completely removed from the place of Wazukhana, it was seen that there was a huge Shivling figure there, which was about two and a half feet. Looking at the design above, it seemed as if some different stone was stuck in the upper part, which had a hole of about half an inch and on putting a sink in it, it was found to be 63 centimeters deep. The water level was so full earlier that the Shivling-like figure could not be seen. When the mosque committee was asked about this figure, the answer was that it is a fountain. The survey team said show it by running it. The mosque committee said that it has broken down, it used to work earlier. Then the survey team asked that show us where the machine is installed in it. Then the mosque committee told them that it runs without a machine. Then the question arose that if it runs without a machine, then why is it not working now?
Actually it seemed as if an attempt was made to make a hole from the top of that Shivling-like figure very precisely, so that if something like this happens to tell that it is a fountain then it will be told that it is a fountain. But anyone who has a little brain will understand that where were the fountains 350 years ago? Which machine was invented and if that machine was there then where was it? Why is it not visible? And if the fountain used to run without the machine then why is it not working today? Although this was a foolish thing. That figure was lying right in front of the face of Nandi. This was the same place whose lower part was meeting the same place where the basement of Vyas ji was blocked with bricks and mortar.
It seemed as if at one time one could reach the sanctum sanctorum of the temple through the basement of Vyas ji. It means that this place which was visible now as the basement, in fact at one time a construction must have been done there and the sanctum sanctorum must have been hidden by doing this. That is, you should understand it like this, that once there was a very huge Shivling in the temple which was very old and then a time came when you did some construction on the upper level which covered half of the Shivling and also closed the way going down. That place where the upper part of the Shivling was visible, even if someone sees it, they will not be able to understand that it is a real Shivling because its base would be under the floor where that Shivling is visible or which is being said to be the place of the washroom. That is, understand it like this, if the floor of the washroom where the survey team was standing is removed then what will be seen beneath it, an old Shiv temple, the place of a huge Shivling which is being looked at by Nandi Maharaj. Next to which is the basement of Vyas Ji.
There were some other basements also which were filled with dirt and debris. That is, it seems that after demolishing the temple and building the mosque, whatever seemed useless, was buried here only. It was said that the keys of one basement are with the police or the army and they are the ones who use it. However, when the survey team identified this Shivling, the court immediately sealed the place and now this place is under the surveillance of the court. The police guards the place. The ASI survey team later submitted its report. That report reveals the truth about the rest of the place except the place where the Shivling is. However, the report of the part where the Shivling is present has not been made public. This may have been done because the court wants to avoid getting into any controversy right now.
It is very surprising that all this was a well-planned conspiracy of the Mughals to suppress the Hindu religion and even today some people are trying to prove their wrong deeds right. Will it not be right that we rectify the mistakes we have made in history? What is bad in this? What is good in converting a temple into a mosque and saying that it is a mosque. It would be better if today’s generation does not repeat the mistakes made by our ancestors and instead moves forward towards a compromise and sets an example of mutual brotherhood.
Gyanvapi Mosque Carbon Dating
There has been a demand to identify the Shivling-like figure found in the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is also being called the Shivling of Kashi Vishwanath, through carbon dating. However, out of the five women who had applied for Shringar Gauri Puja, four women agreed to carbon date this Shivling-like figure, but a fifth woman opposed carbon dating. They said that this would damage the unique Shivling, so we should avoid its carbon dating.
Gyanvapi Mosque Varanasi Court
When Vijay Shankar Rastogi filed a petition in 2019, the Varanasi Civil Judge ordered the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex. However, the Allahabad High Court had stayed it. Later in August 2021, five Hindu women filed a petition in the Supreme Court for the right to worship Shringar Gauri. After that, the role of the Varanasi court had increased a lot. In May 2022, the Varanasi court started hearing the petition of the five women and then the survey work also started. Then the Supreme Court had put a stay on the survey for some time. However, the survey work was completed from 6 May to 16 May. Again in July 2023, ASI got permission for scientific testing. The Supreme Court had ordered to keep the Shivling area safe. However, another court ordered to videograph this complex. On 18 December 2023, ASI submitted its survey report to the Varanasi District Court.
On the order of the court, on 25 January 2024, ASI submitted its report to the Hindu and Muslim sides. On the basis of the report, the Hindu side demanded to restore the status of Shringar Gauri Puja 31 years ago. The Hindu side also demanded to open the basement of Vyasji. On 31 January 2024, the Varanasi court gave its verdict on this and the ban imposed 31 years ago was lifted. The District Magistrate was made responsible for ensuring that Hindus do not face any problems in performing Puja. Worship began there from midnight of 31 January. It is worth noting that it was the judge’s last working day when he gave this verdict and he retired the next day.
After Ayodhya, the mosques of Kashi and Mathura are also in discussion these days and these are the three temples that are being discussed all over the country and the Hindu side wants that these three temples of the country should be unblocked. Ayodhya has been unlocked. Kashi is in the process of being unlocked and now people want Mathura to be next. Temples were present under these mosques, evidence of which has been found today. This evidence was present even hundreds of years ago and nobody made this evidence and kept it under these mosques. But then these evidences were not talked about because at that time there was such a political ecosystem in our country in which even talking about temples in place of mosques was considered a crime. 31 years ago, the worship at this place was stopped, so how can you expect that even if someone goes with evidence, his case will be heard. Otherwise these evidences were present earlier also, but in that ecosystem, the governments did not have such conviction to collect evidence. There was a court then, there is a court even today. But on what basis should the court give its verdict? The court will give its verdict only when someone goes before the court and presents evidence. The court will give its verdict only when the party presents its side properly before the court. Earlier, the parties were not even allowed to reach the court. There was no access to these evidences, neither was there permission to conduct any survey, nor was there permission to collect evidence. And people were kept away from that site itself, so from where will the evidence be found? When these surveys were conducted and when ASI conducted so many surveys, the truth came out in front of the people. Now this evidence is reaching the courts, therefore the courts are giving this decision on the basis of justice. Now the decision of the court in the Kashi matter can prove to be a very big turning point in this case. It will prove to be a very big turning point in the politics of this country and in the history of this country because what the Hindu side has been saying for hundreds of years has finally turned out to be true.