Handover Gyanvapi structure to Hindus: VHP after Archaeological Survey report

In light of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report suggesting the existence of a large Hindu temple structure at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has sought the Gyanvapi structure be "handed over to Hindus".

The ASI survey points towards the presence of a Hindu temple that predates the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Uttar Pradesh.

Days after the ASI report was made available to both sides in Gyanvapi case, the Vishva Hindu Parishad working president and senior advocate Alok Kumar demanded the transfer of Gyanvapi mosque to another "appropriate place" and giving land of the Gyanvapi complex to the Kashi Vishwanath Committee or Hindu society.

"The Shivlinga in what was called the Wazukhana leaves no doubt that the structure does not have the character of a Mosque. The discovery of the names, including the Janardana, Rudra and Umeswara in the inscriptions found in the structure are the tell-tale evidence of this being a Temple," Alok Kumar's statement read.

Alok Kumar also said that the evidence collected and the conclusions provided by the ASI "prove that the religious character of this place of worship existed on August 15, 1947 and, as at present, is a Hindu Temple."

"Thus, even as per Section 4 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the structure should be declared as a Hindu Temple," he said.

The statement by the VHP included two major demands as follows:

The Hindus be permitted to offer Sewa Puja to the Shivlinga found in the so-called Wazukhana area, and, the VHP calls upon the Intezamia Committee to agree to respectfully shift the Gyanvapi Mosque to another appropriate place and to hand over the original site of Kashi Vishvanatha to the Hindu Society.

These demands follow the Archaeological Survey of India's report which hinted at findings suggesting that modifications were made to the Hindu temple. The ASI report, which included a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, carried questions about the historical layers on the site.

In a press briefing on Thursday, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, said, "The ASI has stated that it can be said that there existed a large Hindu Temple before the construction of the existing structure. This is the conclusive finding of the ASI."

The report, as per the Hindu side, also revealed that inscriptions were discovered at the mosque structure that belonged to an ancient Hindu temple, written in Devanagari, Telugu, Kannada, and other scripts.

This survey was initiated after the Allahabad High Court allowed the ASI to continue its survey on the Gyanvapi mosque premises, upholding an order from a Varanasi district court.

From August 4, the ASI surveyed the Gyanvapi premises, except the wazookhana, (a small reservoir for Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions) to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The survey was completed on November 3.