The%20Varanasi%20district%20court%20on%20Thursday%20directed%20the%20Archaeological%20Survey%20of%20India%20%28ASI%29%20to%20start%20excavations%20to%20confirm%20the%20existence%20of%20any%20remains%20of%20a%20Shiva%20temple%20deep%20under%20the%20Gyanvapi%20mosque%20which%20lies%20in%20close%20proximity%20to%20the%20world-famous%20Kashi%20Vishwanath%20Temple%20in%20the%20ancient%20town.

%u201CThe%20prime%20purpose%20of%20the%20Archaeological%20Survey%20shall%20be%20to%20find%20out%20whether%20the%20religious%20structure%20standing%20at%20present%20at%20the%20%27disputed%20site%27%20is%20a%20superimposition%2C%20alteration%20or%20addition%20or%20there%20is%20a%20structural%20overlapping%20of%20any%20kind%2C%20with%20or%20over%2C%20any%20other%20religious%20structure%22%2C%20the%20court%20said%20in%20its%20order.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%3A%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/mukhtar-ansari-and-yogi-adityanath-remained-at-loggerheads-since-2005-1%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%2016-year-old%20rivalry%20between%20Mukhtar%20Ansari%20and%20Yogi%20Adityanath%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20order%20came%20as%20a%20huge%20surprise%20to%20all%20and%20sundry%20and%20has%20created%20much%20sensation%20owing%20to%20the%20controversial%20history%20of%20the%20co-existence%20of%20a%20mosque%20and%20temple%20at%20the%20site.%26nbsp%3B

According%20to%20recorded%20history%2C%20the%20mosque%20was%20built%20by%20Mughal%20emperor%20Aurangzeb%20in%20the%20late%2017thcentury%20after%20alleged%20partial%20demolition%20of%20the%20much%20older%20Kashi%20Vishwanath%20temple%2C%20believed%20to%20have%20been%20built%20more%20than%202000%20years%20ago.%26nbsp%3B

The%20issue%20had%20been%20pending%20before%20the%20court%20for%20nearly%20three%20decades.%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BThe%20case%20seeking%20restoration%20of%20worshipping%20rights%20inside%20the%20precincts%20of%20the%20mosque%20was%20filed%20way%20back%20in%201991%20on%20behalf%20of%20the%20deity%20of%20Swayambhu%20Jyotirlanga%20Bhagwan%20Visheshwar.%26nbsp%3B

The%20petitioners%20sought%20restoration%20of%20the%20entire%20land%20on%20which%20the%20mosque%20was%20erected.%20It%20was%20contended%20that%20the%20Places%20of%20Worship%20%28Special%20Provisions%29%20Act%20did%20not%20apply%20in%20this%20case%20as%20the%20mosque%20was%20built%20after%20partial%20demolition%20of%20the%20temple%2C%20whose%20remains%20were%20explicitly%20visible%20at%20various%20places%20along%20the%20walls%20of%20the%20mosque.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/on-death-row-she-may-be-remorseful-but-no-shabnams-in-village-where-she-killed-7%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20death%20row%2C%20she%20may%20be%20remorseful%20but%20no%20%u2018Shabnams%u2019%20in%20village%20where%20she%20killed%207%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

In%201998%2C%20the%20mosque%20management%20committee%20moved%20the%20Allahabad%20High%20Court%2C%20the%20proceedings%20in%20the%20district%20court.%20The%20committee%20contended%20that%20the%20matter%20could%20not%20be%20adjudicated%20by%20a%20local%20level%20civil%20court.%20The%20stay%20remained%20in%20place%20for%2022%20years%20until%20an%20application%20was%20moved%20by%20the%20Hindu%20petitioners%20in%20February%202020%20to%20reopen%20the%20case%20in%20the%20lower%20court%2C%20on%20the%20plea%20that%20the%20stay%20granted%20by%20the%20High%20Court%20had%20outlived%20its%20validity.

Significantly%2C%20that%20was%20shortly%20after%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20bench%20headed%20by%20Chief%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BJustice%20of%20India%20Ranjan%20Gogoi%20passed%20its%20verdict%20in%20the%20long-pending%20Ayodhya%20Ram%20temple%20case%20on%20November%209%2C%202019.

This%20time%20the%20petitioners%20also%20sought%20restoration%20of%20darshan%2C%20pooja%2C%20aarti%2C%20bhog%2C%20and%20performance%20of%20rituals%20at%20%27sthan%27%20of%20Lord%20Adi%20Visheshwar%20and%20of%20Goddess%20Maa%20Shringar%20Gauri%20and%20other%20deities%20within%20this%20temple-mosque%20complex.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%3A%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/yogi-adityanath-completes-4-years-as-cm-a-fact-check-on-his-growth-claims%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EYogi%20Adityanath%20completes%204%20years%20as%20CM%2C%20a%20fact%20check%20on%20his%20growth%20claims%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

It%20was%20pointed%20out%20in%20the%20application%20that%20the%20jyotirlinga%2C%20present%20on%20the%20same%20complex%20%28Kashi%20Vishwanath%20temple%29%2C%20was%20damaged%20in%201669%20by%20Aurangzeb%2C%20but%20certain%20other%20Hindu%20deities%20continued%20to%20exist%20within%20the%20complex%2C%20but%20as%20part%20of%20the%20Gyanvapi%20mosque.

Separate%20petitions%20were%20filed%20by%20different%20lawyers%20on%20behalf%20of%20each%20of%20the%20deities.%20One%20application%20was%20filed%20by%20lawyer%20Ranjana%20Agnihotri%20on%20behalf%20of%20Goddess%20Maa%20Shringar%20Gauri%20as%20her%20devotee%20and%20next%20friend%20while%20Jatinder%20Singh%20%27Vishen%27%20moved%20an%20application%20as%20a%20devotee%20and%20next%20friend%20of%20Asthan%20Lord%20Adi%20Visheshwar.%20Among%20the%20other%20petitioners%20was%20advocate%20Hari%20Shankar%20Jain%20who%20had%20been%20contesting%20major%20cases%20on%20behalf%20of%20Hindu%20deities%20including%20the%20Krishna%20Janmbhoomi%20in%20Mathura.

Thursday%u2019s%20order%20came%20in%20the%20long-pending%20case%20with%20a%20clear%u2013cut%20direction%20to%20ASI%20to%20carry%20out%20a%20survey%20to%20ascertain%20whether%20there%20were%20any%20remains%20of%20the%20ancient%20temple%20underneath%20the%20mosque.%20The%20court%20has%20asked%20ASI%20to%20form%20a%20five-member%20panel%20which%20would%20include%20two%20members%20from%20the%20minority%20community%20too.

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