Moinuddin Chishti Dargah was built by demolishing Shiva Temple and this temple should be returned to Hindus
Hindu Sena’s petition in the Ajmer (Rajasthan) District Court
Ajmer (Rajasthan) – A civil suit has been filed in the Ajmer District Court against the famous Moinuddin Chishti Dargah. The petition asserts that the Ajmer Dargah was originally a Shiva Temple, which was seized, and the Dargah was constructed in its place. The petition requests that the Dargah Committee be directed to remove the encroachment on the land, declare the place as the Bhagwan Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev Virajman Temple, and instruct the Union Government to rebuild the temple. This petition was filed by Vishnu Gupta, President of Hindu Sena.
1. The petition requests to direct the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Dargah, noting that the design of the main entrance roof follows Hindu architectural styles, indicating its origins as a temple.
2. The petition further states that the material and style of the roof highlight its clear Hindu origins. Unfortunately, the painting and other processes have concealed its intricate carvings. If the paint is removed, the truth might emerge. The sanctum sanctorum is located in the basement.
3. Vishnu Gupta mentioned in the petition that there are no records showing that the Ajmer Dargah was built on vacant land. Instead, historical records suggest that there were Mahadev and Jain temples in that area, where Hindu and Jain devotees worshiped their Deities. Hindus used to offer water to Deity Shankar there.
4. The petition references a book written in 1911 by Ajmer resident Har Bilas Sarda titled “Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive”, which mentions that the debris of the temple was used in constructing the current 75-foot-high gate. Har Bilas Sarda was a member of the ‘Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland’ and served as an Additional Commissioner of Ajmer.
5. Vishnu Gupta filed this petition through Advocate Shashi Ranjan Kumar Singh. The hearing is expected to take place on 10thOctober.
The Dargah Committee rejects the claim
Muslims claim that the Ajmer Dargah is the tomb of their Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The President of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, Nasiruddin Chishti, and the successor of Dargah Dewan, Syed Zainul Abedin, along with the Dargah caretakers’ organisation, Anjuman Syedzadgan, through their secretary Sarwar Chishti, have dismissed Vishnu Gupta’s claim as baseless. They stated that if conspiracies are being hatched against religious places, they will not be tolerated. Looking at history, there has never been any objection to Dargah Khwaja Saheb. From the Mughals to the Khiljis and Tughlaqs, Hindu kings, and even the Marathas, all revered the Dargah and expressed their faith in it.