“Why the Bhojshala Survey is crucial for Bharat”, News 18, April 18, 2024:
“Brazenness often backfires. Invading Islamic rulers intent on stamping their authority on an infidel land—India—decided that temple spolia would make a great statement of domination. So, starting with the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in New Delhi’s Mehrauli area in 1193, successive Islamic dynasties fashioned mosques, mazhars and madrassas using pillars and other distinctive masonry elements of Hindu and Jain temples that they desecrated and destroyed.
That aggrandising policy is coming back to haunt the present with the Supreme Court also refusing to stay the Madhya Pradesh High Court-ordered “scientific examination” of the Bhojshala in Dhar by the Archaeological Survey of India to ascertain its origins. Though Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura are the lightning rods for anger over temples supplanted by mosques, the uncomfortable truth is that they are not the only places where this happened in medieval India.
While the stance of the apex and high court has caused consternation in the usual circles, clarity on the issue should be welcomed. After all, the medieval era Bhojshala—the site’s original name and purpose are still shrouded in mystery—is a Monument of National Importance, protected and managed by the ASI, and the people of India certainly should know why it is categorised as such. Glossing over the truth does not bode well in the long run as we all know…..”
Read the full article at News18.com
