The Gyanvapi Masjid video survey was completed by the Commission on May 16, and the report on the survey was submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday. The report of the survey team suggests that the mosque has linkages to a Hindu temple.
The details of the survey report of the Gyanvapi Masjid were leaked to the press, and the claims of there being a Hindu temple before the mosque was made were intensified. It was suggested that the masjid was built on the remains of a Hindu temple, with several religious carvings visible in the complex.
Here is what the Gyanvapi survey team saw during the videography –
- There were carvings of structures of paan leaves on walls, that are significant in the Hindu culture.
- Four pillars inside the mosque have carvings of flowers, Kalash, and mandir bells.
- One pillar has scriptures written in the old Hindi language, which was not readable by the team.
- A mandir bell (ghanti) was placed at the top of one of the doorways of the Gyanvapi masjid.
- Markings of the trishool were also seen on the walls, suggesting a carving of Lord Shiva.
- One wall had the carvings of three lotus flowers, with the structure of a swastika on top.
- The pillars in the basement compound had several pillars with carvings of lotus flowers and Kalash.
- Earlier, petitioners have also claimed that a Shivling has been placed in the pond area, which prompted the authorities to seal off that part of the Gyanvapi complex.
The videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid, which was completed on May 16, was opposed by the Muslim community, after which a plea was filed against it in the Supreme Court. Now, the survey report has been submitted to the apex court and is being analysed by the bench.
The mosque committee and several political leaders have claimed that the ‘shivling’ inside the mosque is actually a fountain, and sealing the area is unwarranted. The Supreme Court is expected to deliver a verdict on the Gyanvapi controversy soon.
READ | Gyanvapi mosque case: The original petition, how it began and the developments
