"Vyasji ka Tehkhana" in Gyanvapi: Court permits Hindu worship

The Varanasi district court permitted the descendants of a Hindu priest to resume the worship of Hindu idols in the cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, referred to as Vyasji ka Tehkhana.

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A court in Varanasi has allowed Hindu worshippers to perform prayers in a cellar on the southern side of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, known as 'Vyasji Ka Tehkhana'. 

The district court judge A.K. Vishvesh ordered that the necessary arrangements be made within the next seven days to enable the plaintiff, Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas, and a priest nominated by the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, to carry out prayers before the idols in the cellar.

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Mr Vyas against the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), which manages the Gyanvapi mosque. Mr Vyas had petitioned the court to be allowed access to the cellar where his maternal grandfather, Somnath Vyas, used to perform rituals until 1993 when the cellar was sealed off by authorities. As a descendant of Somnath Vyas, the petitioner claimed the right to resume prayers in the cellar.

Mr Vyas alleged that members of the mosque committee have been frequently visiting the cellar and may try to take control of the space, accusations the AIMC lawyer Akhlaque Ahmad dismissed as baseless.

The Gyanvapi mosque has been at the centre of several lawsuits filed by Hindu groups seeking prayer rights at the site. A recent archaeological study ordered by the court revealed evidence that a large Hindu temple existed on the site prior to the construction of the mosque in the 17th century. 
The survey report cited archaeological features and artefacts affirming the presence of a temple predating the mosque structure.

The court order allowing Hindu prayers in the Gyanvapi cellar marks a new turn in the long-running dispute over the religious status of the mosque complex. 

While Muslim groups view it as an infringement on the sanctity of the mosque space, Hindu petitioners have welcomed it as a step towards restoring the site's Hindu heritage. The Varanasi district administration now has a week to implement the court directive allowing prayers in 'Vyasji Ka Tehkhana'.