Bhojshala row resurfaces after ASI allegedly removes Vagdevi idol from complex

Weeks after the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the Bhojshala complex a temple, a fresh controversy has emerged over the placement of a goddess Vagdevi idol. The dispute began after an ashtadhatu idol of Vagdevi was allegedly removed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from the sensitive temple complex on Saturday (June 6).

A Hindu petitioner termed the move contempt of court and accused the ASI of removing the idol, while a Muslim representative objected to its installation within the complex.

HC order

The High Court, on May 15, had declared the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), overturning an ASI order that allowed shared worship.

Also read: HC says Bhojshala complex is Hindu temple; what's the row all about?

The HC stated that the ASI shall have 'full supervisory control' over the preservation, conservation, and regulation of religious access. The court also overturned the ASI's April 7, 2003, order allowing Muslims to offer prayers at the complex every Friday. This order allowed Hindus to worship at the monument only on Tuesdays.

The controversy

Kuldeep Tiwari, one of the petitioners in the Bhojshala case, stated that some devotees installed an ashtadhatu (eight-metal) idol in the complex last Saturday (June 6), and performed rituals with chanting of mantras.

He claimed that devotees worshipped the idol throughout Saturday, but in the evening, the ASI allegedly removed it from the Bhojshala complex. "The removal of the ashtadhatu idol of Goddess Vagdevi by the ASI is highly objectionable. This action is a contempt of court order and an insult to the faith of the devotees," he said in a statement.

Also read: Why movement for Bhojshala ‘reclamation’ discounts layering of history, has political context

Tiwari said that a replica of the Vagdevi idol remains in its place in the Bhojshala complex. He said since the original idol is kept in the British Museum in London, an ashtadhatu idol should be installed in the temple as an alternative until the original one is returned to India.

He stressed that he is unaware of which devotees had installed the ashtadhatu idol in the complex.

Officials react

The ASI's response to the allegation of the idol removal is not available.

When asked about the controversy, Dhar area ASI officer Prashant Patankar said he was not authorised to give statements to the media.

Dhar Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma stated that the May 15’s High Court and regulations regarding the Bhojshala are being strictly complied with.

Original idol

The two petitioners of the Hindu side, who won the case before the Indore bench of the High Court, are insisting on the return of the original idol of Goddess Vagdevi to India and its reinstallation in the Bhojshala.

Also read: Bhojshala verdict: How a narrow 1958 law was opened for a temple claim

The High Court had noted that the Government may consider bringing back the statue of goddess Saraswati from the London Museum and re-establishing the same within the complex.

Objection

Zulfikar Pathan, head of the Kamal Maula Masjid Namaz Intezamia Committee in Dhar, said, "In view of this observation by the High Court, no other statue can legally be placed in the Bhojshala complex."

Pathan demanded that the Islamic inscriptions on the walls of the Bhojshala complex be "fully protected."

(With agency inputs)