After Ayodhya-Ram Janambhoomi verdict, the focus has now shifted to other ancient Hindu temples that were demolished and constructed into Mosques by the Islamic rule invaders in the Medieval era. While the construction of a grand temple at Lord Ram’s birthplace is critical to the Hindu devotees, the importance of other ancient temples like the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi that was converted into the Gyanvapi Mosque or the Krishna temple in Mathura that was converted into Idgah Mosque cannot be undermined.
Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy who has been closely associated with the Ram Janambhoomi movement has now urged the Muslim community to take part in the efforts to restore the Kashi Vishwanath temple. He tweeted, “Liberation and restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling Mandir is a fundamental part of Hindu Renaissance. I hope the Muslim community will cooperate with us Hindus on this and help us restore the temple.”
Liberation and restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling Mandir is a fundamental part of Hindu Renaissance. I hope the Muslim community will cooperate with us Hindus on this and help us restore the temple
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) March 5, 2020
The Kashi Vishwanath temple is an important site for Hindu devotees across the country. It is believed that a ‘shivlingam’ of Lord Vishweshwarnath (Lord Shiva) on the disputed site which was converted into Gyanvapi Mosque in the year 1669 by the Mughal barbarian king, Aurangzeb after demolishing the ancient Hindu temple that existed on the site.
The disputed site happens to be one of the 12 ‘jyotirlingas’- sites that hold immense significance for Hindu devotees in general and Lord Shiva devotees in particular.
Today, there is a Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi Mosque adjoins the Temple, but according to Hindu belief, the original jyotirlinga is what has now been built into the Gyanvapi Mosque.
Last month, there was a major breakthrough as far as the restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath temple is concerned, when a fast-track court reserved its verdict on an application seeking archaeological excavation of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute site. The applicant had contended that there still exists a ‘shivlingam’ of Lord Vishweshwarnath (Lord Shiva) on the disputed site.
With this significant development in the case, crores of Hindu and Lord Shiva devotees are now hopeful that the matter will pick up pace from here and be disposed of expeditiously.
It is in this backdrop that Subramanian Swamy has taken an initiative by urging the Muslim community to help in restoration of the Kashi Vishwanath temple. In all probability, it seems that the BJP leader who played an instrumental role in the Ram Janambhoomi case will now play an equally important role in the Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Mosque dispute.