Amid Gyanvapi row, Mathura man demands video survey of Shahi Idgah mosque

Bhagwatacharya Devakinandan Thakur, a Hindu saint in Mathura has raised a demand to make a similar videography-based survey of the city's Shahi Idgah mosque near the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

Mathura: Amid the ongoing Gyanvapi mosque row in Varanasi, Bhagwatacharya Devakinandan Thakur, a Hindu saint in Mathura has raised a demand to make a similar videography-based survey of the city's Shahi Idgah mosque near the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, he said that there was a chance that the mosque was built over a pre-existing religious structure, drawing attention to the alleged 'Shiv ling' found under the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

"When foreign invaders arrived, they established their structures in places where they saw Hindus had significant faith. They ruined the figures of our Gods, and destroyed our temples. Today I saw in news channels that they created the dome of the mosque over the temples. The structure beneath is still visible.

This was shown in the videography. Today another huge news has arrived: they've found a 'shiv ling' in that place. Nobody can prove this wrong. This means that just like Ram Janmabhoomi, the Gyanvapi mosque, too, was built after destroying a temple. Therefore, I invite you to come forward and make an appeal to conduct a similar videography survey in the mosque near Krishna Janmabhoomi, and all of us Sanatanis should be informed about the truth about it," he said.

After the Gyanvapi mosque's survey work was completed and the 'Shivling' issue gained steam, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that the area where the holy sign was allegedly found be sealed, and that no Muslims coming to offer 'namaz' be stopped from coming to the mosque. Muslim petitioners, meanwhile, rejected the claim, saying the object was a fountain.

The mosque is situated right next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The issue started after a group of five female petitioners approached the top court, demanding to be allowed to perform daily prayers on the structure's outer walls as well as 'visible and invisible deities within the old temple complex'.