- Gyanvapi mosque, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, may have been built after historic temple was demolished; relics of Shiva and other Hindu symbols found
- Hardline Hindu groups believe that Islamic invaders and Muslim kings during their 200 years rule destroyed Hindu temples to build mosques or mausoleum on top
By Reuters
A court in north India on Monday ordered authorities to limit large Muslim prayer gatherings in the historic Gyanvapi mosque after a survey team found relics of The Hindu god Shiva and other Hindu symbols there, lawyers involved in the case said.
Earlier this month, the court in Varanasi set up a team to survey the premises after five women sought permission to perform Hindu rituals in one of its quarters saying that a Hindu temple once stood at the present Islamic site.
India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the local order to ban large Muslim prayer gatherings, stating in an interim order that Muslims’ right to prayer should not be disturbed, and simultaneously the area where Hindu religious relics were said to be found should be protected.
Members of hardline Hindu groups believe that Islamic invaders and Muslim kings, during their 200 years of rule, destroyed Hindu temples to build mosques or mausoleums on top of them as part of their expansionist strategy in the subcontinent.
This story was originally published in scmp.com. Read the full story here .