The Madhya Pradesh High Court (HC) on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and said the Muslim community may approach the state government for allotment of separate land in the district for construction of a mosque.
Delivering its verdict in the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex dispute, the court also observed that there were indications of a Sanskrit teaching centre and a temple of Goddess Saraswati at Bhojshala.
The dispute concerns the religious character of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument in Dhar district.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side identifies the monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque. A petitioner from the Jain community has claimed that the disputed complex is a medieval Jain temple and gurukul.
Following the controversy surrounding the Bhojshala complex, the ASI on April 7, 2003, issued an order allowing Hindus to worship at the complex every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz there every Friday. The Hindu side challenged the order in the High Court, seeking exclusive worship rights at the complex.
Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi of the Indore bench of the High Court began regular hearings on five petitions and one writ appeal related to the matter on April 6 this year.
After hearing all parties amid differing religious beliefs, historical claims, complex legal provisions, and thousands of documents related to the disputed monument, the bench reserved its verdict on May 12.
During the hearing, petitioners from the Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities presented detailed arguments and sought exclusive worship rights for their respective communities at the monument
After conducting a scientific survey of the monument, the ASI stated in its over 2,000-page report that a massive structure dating back to the reign of the Parmar kings of Dhar existed before the mosque, and that the current disputed structure was built using repurposed temple components.
The Hindu side argued that coins, sculptures, and inscriptions found by the ASI during its scientific survey proved that the complex was originally a temple.
However, the Muslim side told the court that the ASI’s survey report was “biased” and prepared to support the claims of the Hindu petitioners.
Rejecting the allegation, the ASI informed the court that the scientific survey was conducted with the assistance of experts, including three from the Muslim community.
The High Court had directed the ASI to carry out a scientific survey of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex on March 11, 2024. The ASI began the survey on March 22 that year and, after a detailed 98-day exercise, submitted its report to the High Court on July 15.
(With PTI inputs)