Here are ten facts about this major event:

1. The district court in Varanasi ordered the ASI survey on July 21 in response to a petition by four women who claimed it was the only method to determine whether the landmark mosque was constructed after the destruction of a Hindu temple. The mosque is situated immediately adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
2. The ASI initiated a survey on July 24, but the Supreme Court halted it within hours after the mosque committee approached it. The committee of the mosque had argued that the structure is over a thousand years old and that any excavation could cause its collapse. In addition, the committee argued that such a survey violates existing laws regarding religious sites.
3. The centre assured the Supreme Court, however, that the survey will not affect the structure in any way, emphasising that “not a single brick has been removed nor is it planned.” Tushar Mehta, India’s Solicitor General, stated that the survey plan involves only measurements, photography, and radar studies.
4. The court permitted the petitioners to appeal the order to the Allahabad High Court. After hearing the case for two days on the 26th and 27th of July, the high court deferred its decision for today.
5. In 2021, the Gyanvapi mosque made headlines after a group of women petitioned a subordinate court in Varanasi for permission to worship Hindu deities on all 365 days of the year at the Gyanvapi complex.
6. Based on this petition, the court ordered a video survey of the complex in April of last year. During the May survey, a structure that the petitioners alleged was a’shivling’ was discovered.
7. The mosque administration committee stated, however, that the structure was part of a fountain in the ‘wazukhana’, a water-filled area where people wash their hands and feet prior to prayer. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue, the Supreme Court ordered the’shivling’ area to be sealed the same month.
8. In September of last year, the district magistrate in Varanasi, to whom the Supreme Court had transferred the case, rejected a challenge by the mosque committee, which had argued that the women’s request to worship Hindu deities within the complex’s grounds was untenable.
9. In May of this year, the Allahabad High Court also rejected the committee’s maintainability petition.
10. The Gyanvapi mosque is one of several mosques in the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that some believe were constructed on the ruins of Hindu sanctuaries. It was one of the three temple-mosque disputes that the BJP had raised in the 1980s and 1990s, along with Ayodhya and Mathura.

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Sunday, the ASI team with all necessary equipment arrived in Varanasi.
“The ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) informed us that the survey will begin tomorrow,” said S Rajalingam, district magistrate of Varanasi, on Sunday. “We are making all the necessary preparations in terms of security,” he added.

Notably, a Varanasi court ordered an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex on Friday, excluding the ‘Wazukhana’ area, which has been sealed off.

“I’ve been informed that my application has been authorised and that the court has ordered an ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, excluding the now-sealed Wazukhana. I believe the survey can be concluded within three to six months, said Hindu advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.

Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, who also represents the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case, characterised the court’s decision as a pivotal moment in the proceeding.

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In May of this year, five women filed a petition requesting permission to pray at the “Shringar Gauri Sthal” located within the shrine complex. A structure, alleged to be a “Shivling” by Hindus and a “fountain” by Muslims, was discovered on May 16, 2012, during a court-ordered survey of the adjacent mosque to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

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Notably, the Gazette notice to add Kapileshwar Temple to the ASI list of Protected Monuments was published on May 5. The decision was made to improve the structure’s maintenance and preservation.

Priests of the temple and locals have also expressed their approval of the decision.

Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sadangi tweeted, “In my office in Bhubaneswar yesterday evening, I thanked Minister @kishanreddybjp for including KAPILESHWAR TEMPLE on the ASI list of protected monuments and requested that KHANDAGIRI- UDAYGIRI CAVES be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

Sadangi urged Union Tourism Minister Kishan Reddy to designate the caves of Khandagiri and Udaygiri as “world heritage sites.”

Sibaram Malia, the chief priest of Kapileswar Temple, lauded the efforts of Aparajita Sadangi and the Union minister, stating, “Due to the negligence of the state government, Kapileswar Temple has been severely devastated in numerous locations. During the ASI survey, a portion of the temple’s architecture was again emphasized. Consequently, this Temple will now entice more tourists to Bhubaneswar, just as the Lingraj Temple does.”

The Kapileshwar temple, which dates back to the 5th century and was renovated by Gajapati Kapilendra Dev in the 14th century, is renowned for its exquisite carvings and beautiful architecture, which are instances of the centuries-old tradition of Indian temple architecture.

The Kapilesvara Temple exemplifies the Kalinga architectural style, which is known for its elegance and simplicity. It is a well-known tourist destination that draws tourists and devotees from India and around the globe.

The temple serves as a reminder of the region’s rich history as well as the people of Odisha’s deep religious and cultural origins.

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The Kapilesvara Siva temple, also known as the ‘Kapilesvar temple’, is one of the earliest still-standing temples in the Indian state of Odisha. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva under the name Kapilesvara. It is located in Kapilprasad, approximately one kilometer from the Bhubaneswar Lingraj Temple, which dates back to the eleventh century.

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