Varanasi, 7 Aug: The Archaeological Survey of India continued its survey of the Gyanvapi mosque here on Monday for the fourth time, although the start time was delayed by three hours due to a rush at the nearby Kashi Vishwanath temple.
According to government attorney Rajesh Mishra, the three domes and basements of the Gyanvapi complex were surveyed on Sunday.
However, due to a rush of worshippers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the commencement of work on Monday was delayed by three hours, and it could only begin after 11 a.m., he added.
He stated that the mapping, measuring, and shooting of the areas covered on Sunday will continue. “Photography, mapping, and measurement were completed, and the basement of Vyasji was also surveyed. The survey work will take longer,” he remarked on Sunday.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) undertook a scientific assessment of the complex containing the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi on Monday for the fourth day in a row to ascertain if the mosque was built on top of a temple.
Vishnu Shankar Jain, a lawyer for the Hindu side, stated that assuming a fresh finding to be made every day is incorrect. “The survey will run until 5 p.m. It is a scientific survey, as opposed to a survey conducted by the Advocates Commission. It is incorrect to believe that anything new will be discovered every day since a thorough scientific examination of structure and architecture is being conducted,” Jain told reporters.
“When the ASI report arrives, we will know the outcome. The ASI report will contain everything. We are conducting a survey of the entire campus, excluding the sealed areas,” he stated.
One of the five Hindu plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Manju Vyas, expressed pleasure with the continuing court-ordered study, saying the ASI team is “doing its job well.” The Muslim side had already threatened that if “rumours” of Hindu religious symbols and paraphernalia were discovered, they would boycott the entire exercise.
Syed Mohammad Yasin, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, which runs the Gyanvapi mosque, said on Sunday that a segment of the media on Saturday propagated “rumours” that idols, ‘trishul’, and ‘kalash’ were discovered during an inspection of the ‘tahkhaanaa’ (basement) on that day. “If such acts are not stopped,” he says, “the Muslim side will once again boycott the survey work.”
On Sunday, the Muslim side claimed that “rumours” were spreading that a Hindu idol and a ‘trishul’ (trident) were discovered during the inspection. They requested that the administration cease spreading such “rumours.” “Such rumours can cause public hysteria. The administration should focus on maintaining law and order,” he added.
The Supreme Court refused to halt the Allahabad High Court ruling allowing the ASI study of the Gyanvapi mosque, which the Muslim side claims will “reopen wounds of the past” on Friday.
However, the bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra directed the ASI not to conduct any intrusive actions during the survey.
