MP High Court recognizes Dhar’s historic ‘Bhojshala’ as Vagdevi temple
Indore, May 15: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday announced its decision regarding the religious nature of the historic Bhojshala (school of Bhoj for Sanskrit learning and poetry), located in the Dhar district headquarters of Madhya Pradesh. The High Court recognized Bhojshala as Vagdevi Temple. In its decision, the court stated that the Bhojshala complex is a temple. The mosque will be given separate land and should petition the government for this.
The division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court stated in its decision that the central government and the ASI should decide how the Bhojshala temple will be managed. Under the 1958 Act, the entire management of this property will remain in the hands of the ASI. The bench stated that the historical and protected site is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
The court also overturned the 2003 the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order denying Hindus the right to worship at the Bhojshala. The court also overturned the order granting Muslims the right to offer namaz.
The court stated that if the mosque side applies to the government, it will be provided with separate land. It also urged the government to make efforts to bring the idol of Goddess Saraswati from England.
It is noteworthy that, following the Supreme Court’s direction, regular hearings in the Bhojshala case were held from April 6 to May 12, 2026, by a division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. During these 24 days, the Hindu and Muslim parties presented their arguments during the 43-hour hearing.
Following this, on May 12, the court reserved its decision on all petitions. On Friday, the court delivered its verdict, dismissing Antar Singh’s petition, in which he had requested an order for a system to maintain harmony between the two parties.
The Muslim side will go to the Supreme Court regarding the Bhojshala verdict
Dhar city Qazi Waqar Sadiq said that the High Court’s decision is respected. Salman Khurshid and Shobha Menon presented the facts on their behalf. We will review the decision and then go to the Supreme Court. Currently, the main gate of Bhojshala has been closed by placing barricades. A large number of police forces are deployed outside.
The Indore and Dhar district administrations are on alert mode in view of the Bhojshala verdict. The fact that it is a Friday has increased the sensitivity, as the Muslim community offers Friday prayers on the Bhojshala premises. The administration has appealed to both sides to maintain peace and not share unverified information. Around 1,200 police personnel from across the district have been called to the Dhar police control room.
The Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma visited the control room to review security arrangements and provide instructions to the police force. The Superintendent of Police stated that Dhar city has been provided with 12 layers of security. The Reserve Police Force and Rapid Action Force have also been placed on alert.
This matter began in 2022 when Ranjana Agnihotri and her colleagues, on behalf of the Hindu Front for Justice, filed a petition in the High Court demanding the determination of the religious nature of Bhojshala and full rights for the Hindu community. In 2024, the ASI conducted a 98-day scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, using state-of-the-art technology. The survey report, which runs to over two thousand pages, details the sculptures, inscriptions, coins, and other artifacts found at Bhojshala during the survey.
