Rituals of puja in a cellar of the Gyanvapi Masjid began on Thursday after the court on Wednesday granted permission in the 'Vyas Ka Tekhana.' This was a significant development in the legal battle over the mosque adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
A devotee on Thursday said, "We all come here by 3-3:00 am every day for darshan...We are extremely happy and emotional with the court's order. Our happiness knows no bounds..."
Advocate Sohan Lal Arya added, "We are feeling very proud today. The court's decision yesterday was unprecedented...The arrangements have been made but it (Vyas Ka Tekhana) has not been opened for the devotees yet..."It was argued that no idols existed in the cellar so there was no question of prayers being offered there till 1993.
What is the case
The order by judge A K Vishvesha comes day after an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) report on the mosque complex was made public. The ASI survey, ordered by the same court, in connection with a related case, suggested that the mosque was constructed during Aurangzeb's rule over the remains of a Hindu temple. Wednesday's order was delivered on the plea of Shailendra Kumar Pathak who claimed that his maternal grandfather, priest Somnath Vyas, offered prayers till December 1993, advocate Yadav said. He said the puja was stopped during the tenure of chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav after the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992.
