Varanasi: Rituals were performed as devotees offered prayers at the Gyanvapi mosque complex on Wednesday night following the instruction of the court.
Aarti was performed in the presence of District Magistrate (DM) S Rajalingam and Police Commissioner Ashok Mutha Jain besides other officers. The district officials and commissioner entered the premises at around 9 pm. At 11 pm, the work of removing barricades near the basement of Nandi began. At 1 am, the work was done. The officials ensured completion of formalities and came out at about 2 am.
On Wednesday, District Judge Dr Ajay Krishna Vishvesha asked the district administration of Varanasi to make adequate arrangements to start the puja within seven days. Rajalingam has complied with court's order immediately and made adequate arrangements for the devotees to offer prayers at the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
He said that the barricading has been removed and the court order has been followed. Visuals from the outside the temple showed excited devotee expressing their happiness of offering prayers at Gyanvapi mosque complex.
"We saw the nandi, Lord Shiva's bull. We have been waiting since yesterday to offer prayers. The temple should be built. We are very happy after offering prayers," said one of the devotees, who came outside the complex after offering worship.
Devotees could not hide their joy at the resumption of puja, which was held till 1993 in front of Nandi in Gyanvapi complex.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened around the Gyanvapi complex. The Varanasi court's decision to allow Hindu devotees to offer prayers inside the 'Vyas Ka Tekhana' area inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex was given on Wednesday.
The court had ordered the district administration to comply with the right of worship inside the 'Vyas Ka Tekhana' area. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side said, " ...Puja will start within seven days. Everyone will have the right to perform Puja..."
"Hindu side allowed to offer prayers at 'Vyas Ka Tekhana'. The District Administration will have to make arrangements within 7 days," Jain said. The mosque has four 'tahkhanas' (cellars) in the basement out of which one is still in possession of the Vyas family members, who used to live here. Vyas had petitioned that as hereditary pujari he be allowed to enter the tahkhana and resume puja.
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