Following the release of the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) survey report on the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Hindu Mahasabha president Swami Chakrapani Maharaj has urged the Muslim side to return the rights of the Hindus and set an example. The Varanasi district court had ordered the ASI survey after Hindu petitioners claimed that the 17th-century mosque was built over a pre-existing temple.
Swami Chakrapani Maharaj stated, “In the Gyanvapi case, the ASI has given a decisive report. It is clear that before the current structure, there was a huge Sanatani Temple. I appeal to the Muslim side that they should hand the rights of the Hindus back to them and set an example that if the Mughals did something incorrect, then the present Muslim generation does not support it.”
The ASI’s report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex indicated that a pre-existing structure was likely destroyed in the 17th century, and “part of it was modified and reused.” The report mentioned, “Based on scientific studies, it can be said that there existed a large Hindu temple prior to the construction of the existing structure.” The ASI highlighted that the “western wall of the existing structure is the remaining part of a pre-existing Hindu temple.”
The ASI report detailed findings such as Arabic-Persian inscriptions mentioning the mosque’s construction during Aurangzeb’s reign and the reuse of pillars and pilasters from the pre-existing structure. Swami Chakrapani Maharaj’s appeal reflects a call for understanding and acknowledgment of historical inaccuracies.