Prayers Resume At Gyanvapi Masjid’s Southern Cellar After Three Decades Following Court Approval

In a historic development, Hindu prayers were reinstated at the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Masjid at 3 am on Thursday, marking the first time in three decades. This followed a local court’s authorization, granted a day prior, for prayers to take place at the 17th-century mosque complex. District magistrate S Rajalingam, after a two-hour meeting with key officials, affirmed that the court’s directive had been adhered to.

The court ruling permitted Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas, who had sought permission for prayers, and a priest appointed by the Kashi Vishwanath trust, to enter the mosque premises. The Vyas family was granted the right to conduct prayers in the southern cellar, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, for the first time since December 1993.

Jitendra Nath Vyas, a member of the Vyas family who has been allowed to offer prayers inside Gyanvapi mosque in UP’s Varanasi, ” We are very happy that we have got the permission to resume puja there. At the time of the puja (yesterday), 5 priests of the (Kashi Vishwanath) temple trust, members of the Vyas family, Varanasi DM and Commissioner were present there.”

 

After the District Court granting permission for conducting ‘Pooja’ in the ‘Vyas Ka Tehkhana’ in Gyanvapi mosque, Chairman of Kashi Vishwanath Trust Nagendra Pandey says, “Court has ordered the opening and subsequent worship at the ‘tehkhana’ which was closed for years. No side should have any issues now. As per the court’s orders, we will do all necessary procedures. We have been given the right to worship our deity. We have adequate priests and will start the ‘pooja’ soon… ”

Advocate Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, representing Vyas, expressed joy that the court’s order had been honored.

Contrary to Vyas’s claim of hereditary ownership of the cellar, Akhlaque Ahmad, the mosque committee’s lawyer, argued that the basement was under the possession of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee. He stated that the Vyas family had never performed puja in the cellar, refuting allegations of illegal annexation.

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The Vyas family, historically considered the rightful owners of the southern cellar, conducted prayers to deities like Ganesha, Hanuman, and Nandi. All four cellars were sealed after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, with permanent barriers erected for security reasons.

In September 2023, Vyas filed a plea seeking the appointment of a receiver for the cellar to allow him, co-pujaris, and devotees to perform puja. The civil suit was transferred to the Varanasi district court in October 2023.

Retired district judge AK Vishvesha, who issued the recent order, emphasized that prayers must resume within the next seven days. Hindu petitioners argued for the right to pray in the cellar, citing concerns of potential illegal annexation by the mosque committee. Some Hindus claimed the mosque was constructed during the Mughal era after demolishing a temple.

Vishnu Shankar Jain, counsel for Vyas, hailed the court order as a significant victory. The mosque committee intends to challenge the decision in the high court, arguing that the Hindu suits are barred under the 1991 Places of Worship Act.

The court is scheduled to hear the mosque committee’s objections on February 8. The committee contests the ASI’s report furnished by Vishvesha in January, which concluded that a Hindu temple existed at the Gyanvapi Masjid site before its construction. The committee plans to study the report before deciding on legal steps.