In response to claims by a delegation of Jain monks asserting the existence of a Sanskrit school and Jain temple at the historic Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra monument in Ajmer, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani has called for an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey.
Devnani, who also serves as the MLA from Ajmer North, emphasized the need for an immediate ASI survey to verify the claims made by the Jain delegates. He stated, It’s a subject to research whether it was occupied and converted into a mosque. The necessary action can be taken after that.
It is pertinent to note that the demand for a survey comes after a delegation of Jain monks, accompanied by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), visited the monument on May 7. Led by Jain monk Sunil Sagar, the delegation highlighted the historical significance of the site, suggesting hundred idols were found inside the Parhwanath cave. This means, there is a need for a survey here too, he added.
“This means that there must have once been a Jain temple here. These issues should be resolved through mutual understanding. Where there are mosques, they should remain, but where temples etc. have been disturbed, they should be brought back in their ancient form,” said Jain monk Sunil Sagar, advocating for the restoration of historical sites to their original form.
Echoing the call for a survey, BJP leader and Ajmer Deputy Mayor Neeraj Jain emphasized the need for conservation and promotion of the site, citing its historical significance as Saraswati Kanthbharana Mahavidyalaya.
“Earlier, this place was Saraswati Kanthbharana Mahavidyalaya, which the invaders tried to capture and demolish. In the past too, we had demanded conservation and promotion of this place,” the Ajmer Deputy Mayor said.
"A survey to be conducted at the place on the pattern of Kashi Vishwanath, Ayodhya and Mathura," he added.
Meanwhile, Ajmer Dargah Anjuman Committee’s secretary Syed Sarwar Chishti, termed the Jain monks’ visit “highly wrong”. “How people went inside Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra without clothes, there is also a mosque inside,” Chishti said.
