Bhojshala Declared Hindu Temple: Idol of Goddess Vagdevi to Be Reinstalled

The reaction came after the Madhya Pradesh High Court recognised the Bhojshala complex as a Hindu temple and the property of King Bhoj. It set aside the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) previous order allowing Muslims to offer namaz there.

Furthermore, the MP High Court has directed the government to make formal efforts to repatriate the ancient idol of Goddess Saraswati currently housed in the British Museum in London. This statue was originally installed by King Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty between 1010 and 1055 AD when the site served as a renowned centre for learning.

Speaking to IANS, petitioner Kuldeep Tiwari said: "The idol of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) can be found in the homes of all devotees of the Goddess. It is believed to be the same kind of idol that Maharaja Bhoj had installed when the temple was originally established."

"Many such idols were later damaged and destroyed during invasions and attacks. The idol we have now is a replica of the original idol kept in the British Museum," he added.

Another petitioner in the case, Rajesh Bijwe, also echoed that the idol of Goddess Vagdevi, which was initially installed at the site, was taken away by the British.

He said: "We have now brought a replica of that idol here, and preparations are underway to place it inside again. The kind of evidence that has been presented reflects the historical significance of the site, and this has now been established."

"We will reinstall the idol of Goddess Vagdevi at Bhojshala. This is a symbolic idol," he asserted.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu front, termed the High Court's decision as "historic" which came after four years of legal battle and after ASI's 2100 pages of survey report.

"The court has recognised the Bhojshala complex as a school of Sanskrit learning, Hindu temple and the property of King Bhoj," he told reporters.

The petitioner further said that the court has directed that if the Muslim community needs space for their mosque, they can file an appeal to the government. "The government, in turn, will take a decision on providing them an alternative land," he mentioned.

The advocate added that the petition filed by the Jain community has also been rejected by the court.

He said: "The court has allowed only two writ petitions, one is of the Hindu front for justice and the second one is of Kuldeep Tiwari. The rest four petitions of Muslim and Jain communities have been rejected."

- IANS