Gyanvapi Case: What is the controversy over Gyanvapi? What has happened so far in the survey, and where will the action start, know everything
In the matter of scientific survey of Gyanvapi, the Muslim side has got a big blow today from the Allahabad High Court. The High Court has refused to ban the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The court says that no one is harmed by this survey. The High Court has also given instructions not to dig.
The Allahabad High Court allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to survey the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. The hearing was held in the High Court on the instructions of the Supreme Court. After the hearing, the survey of ASI has been approved.
The order allowing the Gyanvapi survey by the District Judge of Varanasi was challenged in the High Court by the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid on the directions of the Supreme Court. A single bench of Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Pritinkar Diwakar heard the petition filed by the Muslim side.
In fact, on July 21, the district court of Varanasi had given permission for a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The court pronounced this order on the basis of a petition filed by the Hindu side. In this, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) demanded instructions for a ‘scientific survey’ of the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was to submit the report of the survey to the Varanasi court by August 4. Following the order of the district court, the ASI team had reached the Gyanvapi campus on July 24 to survey it. But the Muslim side opposed the survey and moved the Supreme Court.
On this, the Supreme Court stayed the ASI survey for two days and asked the mosque committee to approach the Allahabad High Court. After this the Muslim side reached the High Court. Now after the hearing, the High Court has rejected the petition of the Muslim side. Now the Muslim side will go to the Supreme Court. There will be a consideration of going to the Supreme Court in one to two days.
Let us tell you that on July 24, about five hours of action had already taken place before the Supreme Court stayed it. The survey of Gyanvapi campus was stopped as soon as the order of the apex court came. DM and Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma were the first to come out of Gyanvapi when the survey was closed.
Namaz place surveyed
After this the ASI team, the plaintiff women and their advocates came out. Vadini Lakshmi Devi said that we are satisfied with the survey. A survey was also done of the place where Namaz is held. Four teams of ASI measured and measured the entire complex. Photography and videography also took place during this period. All four sides were measured. Now after the order of the Allahabad High Court, the ASI team will start the survey.
Where will the action start now
On the orders of the court, now the ASI team will survey the mosque premises. However, the ASI will not survey the location where the Shivling was claimed to be found. Hindu side’s lawyer Vishnu Jain told that ground penetrating radar and modern technology will be used in this survey.
What will the scientific survey find out?
The Director of ASI has been directed to conduct a detailed scientific investigation using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, excavation, dating method and other modern techniques of the present structure. A scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex by the ASI will ascertain whether the present structure was built over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. ASI will conduct Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey just below the three domes of the structure and if required, excavation can also be done.
The ASI will investigate the age and nature of construction of the western wall of the building through scientific methods. The order also mentions conducting GPR survey under the ground of all the basements and digging if necessary. The ASI will prepare an inventory of all artefacts found in the structure, ascertain their contents and carry out scientific examination and dating to ascertain the age and nature of construction. However, the order states that the ASI director should ensure that there is no damage to the structure standing on the disputed land and it remains intact.
What questions can be answered?
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said that it is necessary for the people of the country to get answers to these questions related to Gyanvapi. How ancient is the Shivling figure found in Gyanvapi? Is the Shivling self-manifested or was it brought from somewhere else and consecrated? What is the reality of the disputed site? What is the truth buried under the disputed site? When were the three alleged domes built on top of the temple after demolishing it? How old are the three alleged domes?
What is carbon dating?
Carbon dating is the name of the method using which the age of any object can be detected. The method of carbon dating was discovered in 1949 by Willard Frank Libby and his colleagues at the University of Chicago, USA. Through this method the age of wood, spores, skin, hair, skeleton etc. can be ascertained. That is, everything that contains organic remains, their approximate age can be ascertained through this method. For this reason, the plaintiff side had demanded carbon dating or any other modern method of investigation in the survey in Gyanvapi campus.
What is the method of carbon dating?
In fact, the amount of carbon in our Earth’s atmosphere
Three isotopes are found. These are known as Carbon-12, Carbon-13, and Carbon-14. In the method of carbon dating, the ratio between carbon 12 and carbon 14 is extracted. When an organism dies, it stops exchanging carbon with the atmosphere. Because of this, there is a difference in the ratio of their carbon-12 to carbon-14. That is, carbon-14 starts getting eroded. By estimating this difference, the age of any remains is estimated.
Does carbon dating work on the stone too?
Generally, with the help of carbon dating, only 50 thousand years old remains can be detected. The age of stones and rocks can be more than this. However, there are also many indirect methods by which the age of stones and rocks can be ascertained. For carbon dating, it is necessary to have mainly carbon-14 on the rock. Even if it is not found on the rock, its age can be ascertained based on radioactive isotope present on it.
What is the Gyanvapi dispute
Regarding the Gyanvapi dispute, the Hindu side claims that there is a self-manifested Jyotirlinga of 100 feet high Adi Vishweshwar below it. Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built by Maharaja Vikramaditya about 2050 years ago. It is claimed that the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb built a mosque here by demolishing the temple in the year 1664. Which is now known as Gyanvapi Masjid. The petitioner has demanded that an archaeological survey of the Gyanvapi complex be carried out to determine whether the underground part is the remains of the temple.
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