Devotees entered the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar on Saturday to offer prayers after the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore Bench declared the disputed site a temple and granted Hindus the right to worship. The court recognised the complex as belonging to Raja Bhoj and ruled it was historically dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi, dating to the Bhoj-Parmar dynasty. The ruling modified an earlier ASI order that had allowed Friday namaz for a limited time, while keeping the monument under ASI custody.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court will deliver its verdict on May 15 in the long-running Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex dispute in Dhar, where Hindu, Muslim and Jain claim rights over an ASI-protected monument. The court reserved judgment after hearings beginning April 6. The ASI’s 2,000-page scientific survey says a structure from the Parmar kings predates the mosque and that later construction reused temple components. Muslims have challenged the report as biased. The case stems from a March 2024 survey process.
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The Muslim side told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that old revenue records label the Bhojshala complex as a mosque, arguing there is no clear record of a Saraswati temple linked to Raja Bhoj. They seek occupation rights based on historical titles and Muslim law, while objections are raised over the ASI’s survey process.
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