Aurangzeb demolished the Shrikrushna Temple in Mathura and built a mosque
Information provided by the Archaeological Survey of India under the Right to Information
Agra (Uttar Pradesh) – The Shahi Eidgah mosque has been built on the site of the mosque built by Aurangzeb after the demolition of the Shrikrushna Temple in Mathura, the ASI Department of Agra said in an RTI statement. The department said on the basis of a gazette published in the year 1920 during the British rule that the Katra Keshavdev Temple stood in place of the mosque earlier, which was demolished and a mosque was built.
1.Ajay Pratap Singh from Mainpuri sought information about temples across the country through the Right to Information. This included information about the birthplace of Shrikrushna in Mathura.
2.Mahendra Pratap, the president of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nyas, revealed that the Public Works Department and Roads Department, active during British rule, had compiled a list of 39 memorials in various places in Uttar Pradesh. This list is based on information noted in the official gazette. The mention of the Katra Keshavdev land is in serial number 37. It is written, ‘There was a temple of Keshavdev on the east side of Katra Tekadi.’ This land was later used for the construction of the mosque.
What is the case ?
Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the Keshavdev temple in Mathura in 1670. After the destruction of the temple, a mosque, known as the Shahi Eidgah mosque, was built at the site. This dispute involves a total of 13.37 acres of land. The Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Nyas claims ownership of 10.9 acres of land, while the Shahi Eidgah mosque has ownership rights to the remaining one acre of land. The Hindu side demands the removal of the Shahi Eidgah mosque to allocate the land to Shrikrushna’s birthplace.
| Editorial Perspective
If the Archaeological Survey of India is aware of this, why doesn’t the department itself try to get this land for Hindus ? As this department comes under the Union Government, Hindus think that the Union Government should also make efforts regarding this. |