No evidence of temple demolition at Bhojshala during Khilji's invasion: Muslim side to High Court

Indore: A Muslim petitioner argued before the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday that there was no documentary evidence to show that a temple existed at the Bhojshala complex which was demolished and replaced with a mosque during Alauddin Khilji's 1305 invasion.

Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the Indore bench of the HC are hearing petitions regarding the religious nature of the ASI-protected structure at the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district.

Hindu Front for Justice, one of the petitioners, claims that Bhojshala was originally a Saraswati temple established by King Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty in 1034, and it was demolished in 1305 by Khilji's army during his invasion of Malwa. Parts of the temple were repurposed for the construction of the mosque, it contends.

Advocate Touseef Warsi, representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society, on Thursday cited various historical and archival sources to argue that there was no documentary evidence of a Saraswati temple being destroyed by Khilji's army.

Citing books by V D Mahajan, R C Majumdar and other Indian and foreign historians, the lawyer said while Khilji's conquest of Malwa in 1305 is recorded in history, none of these sources mention the demolition of any temple or the conversion of any building into a mosque.

Advocate Warsi also cited a purported letter sent by the British High Commission to the then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2003, claiming that a statue in the British Museum in London, which Hindu petitioners claim to be that of Vagdevi taken from Bhojshala, is actually a statue of the Jain goddess Ambika.

The Archeological Survey of India has made different statements in different cases regarding the religious nature of Bhojshala, said the lawyer.

The ASI's response to the 2019 PIL filed by the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society differed from the responses given to two PILs filed in 2022 by the Hindu Front for Justice and Kuldeep Tiwari, he said.

Next hearing of the case will be held on May 4 when the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society will present arguments regarding the ASI's videography of the Bhojshala complex.