A UP court has ordered sealing of the premises after it was claimed that Shivling was found in Varanasi’s Gyanvapi Masjid. The petitioners had sought permission for worship in the mosque premises. Now a similar controversy is taking place in Karnataka regarding a mosque. This dispute is about a mosque built during the time of Tipu Sultan. Hindu organizations claim that there used to be a Hanuman temple here.
What is the history of the mosque
There is a mosque at Srirangapatna, 120 km from Bangalore. It is said that Srirangapatna used to be the capital of Tipu Sultan. Here in the fort is this Jamia Masjid. It is said that this fort was built during the time of Vijayanagara Empire. Later Tipu Sultan captured it. Parsi inscriptions found inside the mosque suggest that the mosque was built in 1782.
Sultan had built this mosque close to his palace. A madrasa is also run in the mosque. ASI guards this building.
Hindu organization raised the demand for worship
A Hindu organization named Narendra Modi Vichar Manch has submitted a request to the Mandi Deputy Commissioner regarding the demand for worship in the mosque. It has been written in it that Namaz should be stopped in the mosque premises. It is claimed that there are still idols of Hindu gods and goddesses inside the mosque. State Secretary of Manch CT Manjunath said that there is evidence of the existence of a temple here.
It is also claimed that Hindu inscriptions have been found from the walls of the mosque. Apart from this, citing the design of the pillar of the mosque, it is being said that it is a temple craft. Rishi Kumar Swami of Kali Math claims that Tipu Sultan built the mosque in 1784 after demolishing the temple built by the Mysore King. Swamy was arrested in January after he threatened to demolish a mosque. Now he is out on bail.
Meanwhile, Karnataka minister K Eshwarappa has also said that around 36,000 temples were demolished in India during the Mughal period. He said that those temples will be built back by taking recourse to law. No one will have any problem with this. At the same time, the officials of the mosque have demanded protection from the administration.