A court in Rajasthan’s Ajmer on Wednesday issued a notice to the Muslim defendants in a civil suit claiming that the shrine of 13th century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was built over a Shiva temple, Bar and Bench reported.
The suit filed by Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta seeks directions that the Ajmer Sharif Dargah be declared as Bhagwan Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev Virajman temple. The plea seeks the removal of the dargah committee from the premises and asks for a survey of the site by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The shrine is a famous landmark in Ajmer.
The roof design at the main entrance resembles a Hindu structure, suggesting that the site was originally a temple, the petitioner claims.
“The materials and the style of these chatrees plaintly betray their Hindu origin,” Bar and Bench quoted the plea as claiming. “Their excellent surface carving is unfortunately hidden from view of coats of colour and whitewashing, which can showcases its true identity and reality after its removal.”
The petitioner further argued that there is no evidence the dargah was built on vacant land and claimed that historical accounts indicate the presence of a Mahadeva temple and Jain temples at the site, where Hindu devotees once worshipped.
The suit seeks the court to issue directions to the Union government to construct the Bhagwan Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev Temple at the site where the shrine stands.
The case was filed to create hatred towards Muslims, the shrine’s custodian Syed Sarwar Chishty had told The Indian Express in September when the case was transferred to the Ajmer court.
“This is not a joke that every other day criminals come forward with a new claim,” Chishty was quoted as saying at the time. “…The Dargah has been a place of worship for all religions and it will remain such.”
The notice order was issued by Civil Judge Man Mohan Chandel and the matter will be heard next on December 20.
The order came days after a court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on November 19 allowed an application asking for Hindus to be given access to and survey the town’s Shahi Jama Masjid.
The petitioners had claimed that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the “centuries old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.
On Sunday, five persons were killed in violence during protests against the survey of the mosque.
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