A “maha aarti” was performed as hundreds of Hindu devotees gathered at the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar on Friday, May 22, a week after the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the site a temple. Members of the Muslim community offered namaz at their respective homes while wearing black bands in protest.
The High Court had on May 15 ordered that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati). It further quashed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order that had allowed Muslims to offer namaz at the site on all Fridays.
Prior to this, Hindus were allowed to worship at the medieval monument only on Tuesdays and Muslims offered Friday prayers there for years. Both the sides had claimed rights over the site.
Friday, May 22, marked the first Jumma or the day of special congregational prayers post the High Court verdict, with the Hindu groups describing the event as the first large-scale Friday worship at the site in more than two decades.
Religious programmes, bhajan-kirtan as well as a “maha aarti” was performed at the complex by Bhoj Utsav Samiti and Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Samiti, amid tight security arrangements, PTI reported.
Gopal Sharma, Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Samiti convenor, said that a large number of devotees from Dhar and other nearby areas participated in the rituals and prayers throughout the day.
For the special occasion, the sanctum area and parts of the complex were decorated with rangoli and flowers, as devotees arrived in large numbers for darshan and prayers.
On the other hand, members of the Muslim community offered Friday namaz in the courtyards of their homes as well as private premises, wearing black bands to protest after the court setback in the Bhojshala case.
Local Muslim leader Abdul Samad said they respected the High Court’s verdict, but are not satisfied with it. “We registered our protest peacefully by offering Jumma namaz at our homes and wearing black bands,” PTI quoted him as saying.
Samad said that a plea has been filed in the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s order.
Expressing hope of getting justice, Samad objected the administration’s decision cancelling permission for offering Friday namaz at the Kamal Maula Mosque portion of the complex.