Gyanvapi Mosque

Gyanvapi Mosque (Hindi: ज्ञानवापी मस्जिद "The Well of Knowledge"^[1]) is a mosque built by Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. It is located north of Dashaswamedh Ghat, near Lalita Ghat along the river Ganges in Varanasi^[2] at the original site of Kashi Vishwanath temple.^[3][4]

History

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva (also called Vishwanath), has a special and unique significance in the spiritual history of India.^[5] It is considered to be one of the holiest places of Hinduism.^[6]

The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. After being rebuilt in 1585, Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and constructed Gyanvapi Mosque, which still exists alongside the temple.

The temple was reconstructed in 1780.

Construction

The minarets are 71 meters high and used to dominated the Varanasi skyline till a 1948 flood caused it to collapse.^[7][8] Material from the destroyed temple was reused by Aurangzeb while building the Gyanvapi Mosque.^[9] The mosque shows evidence of original Hindu temple in its foundation, columns and rear.^{[4] [8]} The old temple wall was also incorporated as part of the walls of the mosque. The deliberately retained remnants of the temple are described to be "a warning and an insult to Hindu feelings".^[10] The façade is modeled on the Taj Mahal's entrance.^[11]

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple was rebuilt in 1780 besides the mosque and the two structures have existed in harmony since then, separated by a barricade of iron staves and chicken wire.^[12] The Gyanvapi — the well of knowledge — is situated between the temple and the mosque. The well is believed by Hindus to be the location where the sacred Shiva linga icon of the temple was hidden, before the temple was razed by Aurangzeb.^[9]

Concerns

The mosque faces a threat of being target of some Hindus^[13] and Hindu organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad^[14][15][16] and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,^[17] who consider it symbolic of Islamic iconoclasm.^[18] After the demolition of the Babri Mosque — which was allegedly built on the site of a sacred Hindu temple by Aurangzeb's ancestor — in December 1992, about a thousand policemen guard the Kashi Vishwanath temple/Gyanvapi mosque site.^[12] The mosque is functional and receives protection under Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.^[17]

References