Ajmer Dargah is built on top of Shiva temple, Mahadev’s image in the basement; Hindu Sena’s claim in court

A civil suit has been filed in the Ajmer District Court. It has been claimed that the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan was built over a Shiva temple. The court has been asked to declare it as Lord Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev Virajman Temple.

Subodh Kumar Mishra , AjmerThu, 26 Sep 2024 06:55 AM Share

A civil suit has been filed in the Ajmer District Court. It has been claimed that the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan was built on top of a Shiva temple. The court has been asked to declare it as the Lord Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev Virajman Temple. Along with this, a demand has also been made to remove the unauthorized and illegal occupation of the premises by the Dargah Committee.

According to a Bar and Bench report, the suit filed by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta through advocate Shashi Ranjan Kumar Singh is likely to be heard on October 10. The petition also seeks direction to the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the dargah. Ajmer Dargah is the tomb of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

The suit filed by Vishnu Gupta claims that the design of the ceiling at the main entrance resembles a Hindu structure. This indicates that the site was originally a temple. The material and style of these chhatris clearly indicate their Hindu origin. Their exquisite carvings are unfortunately hidden due to colour and whitewash, which after its removal may reveal its true identity and authenticity.

It further argues that there is no record that shows that the Ajmer Dargah was built on vacant land. Instead, historical accounts show that there was a Mahadev temple and a Jain temple at the site, where Hindu devotees worshiped their deities. The suit seeks directions to the Central government to rebuild the Lord Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev temple at the site of the disputed property.

The suit further demands that the Lord Shri Sankatmochan Mahadev temple be rebuilt after removing the present structure at the place of Mahadev Linga present within the property in Ajmer and every arrangement be made for worship, bhog, rituals of the deity. The court is prayed to restrain those working for the Dargah Committee and the government from entering or using the above property in any manner. The suit seeks directions for demolition of the Dargah and construction of a temple in its place.

The suit claims that there is an image of Mahadev in the basement where Khwaja was buried. The Ajmer Sharif Dargah is considered one of the holiest Muslim shrines in India.