Varanasi: Prayers were performed in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque here on Wednesday night following court orders allowing the resumption of a practice discontinued three decades back, Kashi Vishwanath temple trust president said.
Devotees said they were happy with the court orders even as the Masjid Committee approached the Supreme Court against the Varanasi court orders. The apex court, however, asked the Masjid committee to approach the Allahabad High Court against the Varanasi court's order that a Hindu priest can perform prayers before idols in a cellar of the mosque.
Earlier on Wednesday, the district court ruled that a priest can perform prayers before the idols in a cellar of the Gyanvapi Masjid, a significant development in the legal battle over the mosque adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
"Vyas ji's cellar was opened after 31 years for prayers," temple trust president Nagendra Pandey said, adding that the southern cellar was opened at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday. Asked if prayers were performed in the basement, he said, "Yes." "It was necessary to follow the court's orders, so the district administration made all the arrangements with great promptness," Pandey added. District Magistrate S Rajlingam said, "I have complied with the court's order."
Visuals confirmed by Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer for the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case, showed a priest offering prayers at 'Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana' inside Gyanvapi mosque. An 'aarti' of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh was performed. "We all come here by 3-3:00 am every day for darshan...We are extremely happy and emotional with the court's order. Our happiness knows no bounds...," said a devotee.
The puja at the southern cellar of the mosque was started at 12.30 am and held for 45 minutes. The rituals were performed at the basement in the presence of police commissioner, divisional commissioner, district officer and other senior officials. Devotees coming to Vishwanath temple since this morning are also visiting the basement from outside.
Vyas family member Jitendranath Vyas told ETV Bharat that he was present inside the basement during the puja Wednesday night. "The puja was held from 12:30 am to 1.15 am. There were five priests along with members of the Vyas family," Vyas said.
Vishwanath Temple priest Om Prakash Mishra, police commissioner Ashok Mutha Jain, divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma along with district officer S Raj Lingam were present here. "Everyone entered the complex and after purification rituals, all entered the puja site raising slogans of 'Har Har Mahadev'. The figures depicted on the pillars were sprinkled with Ganga water. After which, puja started by offering flowers and akshat. The damaged idols were also worshipped. The rituals started with the Swasti recitation. Sweets and milk were offered. The puja ended with the prasad distribution," Vyas said.
Vyas said there are no idols inside the complex so puja was performed through meditation and by reciting mantras. The marks of the damaged sculptures and Swastika symbol present on the pillars were worshipped, he said. "We are very happy because we got back what belonged to us. The hard work of our ancestors is bearing fruit. The administration will decide on whether there will be regular puja within a week," he added.
The court had directed the local administration to make arrangements within seven days for prayers in the cellar. This will involve "proper arrangements" with metal barricades at the complex, it said.
Taking a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said the haste displayed by the BJP in following the court orders is an attempt to prevent any legal recourse. "Due process has to be maintained while following any court order. The Varanasi Court fixed a 7 day period for it (making arrangements). What we are seeing now is a concerted effort to go beyond the due process and prevent any legal recourse that can be taken," Yadav said on X. The order by Judge A K Vishvesha came a day after an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the mosque complex was made public.
The ASI survey, ordered by the same court, in connection with a related case, suggested that the mosque was constructed during Aurangzeb's rule over the remains of a Hindu temple. Wednesday's order was delivered on the plea of Shailendra Kumar Pathak who claimed that his maternal grandfather, priest Somnath Vyas, offered prayers till December 1993, according to Hindu side counsel Madan Mohan Yadav.
Pathak said the puja was stopped during the tenure of former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav after the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992. During the hearing, the Muslim sides disputed the petitioner's version. It said no idols existed in the cellar so there was no question of prayers being offered there till 1993.
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