New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that it’s unfortunate that people today call Gyanvapi a mosque when it is “Lord Vishwanath himself.” The Uttar Pradesh CM made this statement while addressing a gathering in Gorakhpur on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.
“Unfortunately, people call Gyanvapi a mosque, but it is actually ‘Vishwanath’ (Lord Shiva) himself,” the Uttar Pradesh CM said.
ज्ञानवापी को आज लोग दूसरे शब्दों में मस्जिद कहते हैं,लेकिन ज्ञानवापी साक्षात 'विश्वनाथ' ही हैं… pic.twitter.com/njo9Fk03Xe
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) September 14, 2024
Yogi's statement comes days after a court order rejected a plea by Hindu side which had requested the District Magistrate to order repairs to the basement of Vyas Ji within the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
The Chief Minister also posted his remark from his official social media handle with the caption: "Today people call Gyanvapi a mosque in other words, but Gyanvapi is actually Vishwanath."
"Had our society ever understood and identified this hurdle in the past, our country would have never been colonised," the chief minister added.
The Gyanvapi Controversy
Hindu activists have claimed that a temple once stood at the site of the disputed Gyanvapi mosque and was demolished in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb—a claim that the Muslim side disputes.
In February, a Varanasi court permitted Hindu devotees to worship in the sealed basement of the Gyanvapi mosque, specifically at 'Vyas Ka Tekhana,' a restricted area within the mosque.
Recently, the Hindu side petitioned a Varanasi court to allow the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 18 to address the petition seeking an ASI survey of the remaining parts of the Gyanvapi complex.