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Seer not granted permission to offer prayers to Shivling at Gyanvapi complex
Seer Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati had announced on Thursday that on June 4, he and other Vedic scholars would offer prayers to a ‘Shivling’, which was claimed to have been found in the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi during a court-monitored survey of the premises on May 16.
VARANASI In view of law-and-order issues, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, chief disciple of Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, was not granted permission to worship the Shivling claimed to have been found in Gyanvapi complex, said Varanasi Commissionerate Police on Friday.
Saraswati had announced on Thursday that on June 4, he and other Vedic scholars would offer prayers to a ‘Shivling’, which was claimed to have been found in the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi during a court-monitored survey of the premises on May 16.
Saraswati also submitted an application with the office of deputy commissioner of police, Kashi Zone, Ramsevak Gautam, on Thursday, seeking permission for offering prayers to the Shivling found in Gyanvapi.
DCP Kashi Zone Ramsevak Gautam said Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati sought permission for worship at the place which had been sealed by the order of the court. CRPF personnel were deployed for the security of the place. The case related to that place was pending in court. Keeping these circumstances in view along with law-and-order issues, permission was not granted to Swami Avimukteshwaranand to worship at the place where the Shivling was claimed to have been found in Gyanvapi complex.
He added that if he still went to Gyanvapi for worship, strict legal action would be taken against him.
Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati is the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Sharada Peetham in Gujarat and the Jyotir Math in Badrinath.
Addressing a press conference at Sri Vidya Matt located at Kedar Ghat here, Avimukteshwaranand had said on Thursday, “When Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati Maharaj, who is in Madhya Pradesh, was informed about the manifestation of Lord Adi Vishweshwar in Gyanvapi complex, he expressed his happiness and ordered me to go and start worshipping Lord Adi Vishweshwar immediately.”
“So, as per Guruji’s order, we will go to offer prayers to Lord Adi Vishweshwar in Gyanvapi on June 4 (Saturday). In our scriptures, Saturday is mentioned as an auspicious day,” he added.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand also said if the administration stopped them from offering prayers, he would inform the Shankaracharya and follow his instructions. “The decision of the Dharmacharya is final on the matter of Dharma (religion). In Sanatan Dharma, Shankaracharya is the biggest ‘acharya’ and Swaroopanand is the senior-most. Therefore, his orders should be followed by all ‘Sanatanis’,” he said..
Swami Avimukteshwaranand’s announcement came in the wake of claims by Hindu litigants in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi Mosque case that a ‘Shivling’ was found in the complex during a court-mandated survey of the premises last month.
However, the Muslim side has maintained that the object was part of the water fountain mechanism at the “wazoo khana” where “namazis” carry out ablutions before offering the namaz.
On May 16, during a local court-ordered survey, one of lawyers representing Hindu petitioners claimed a “Shivling” was recovered in Gyanvapi complex and urged the court to seal the area where the “Shivling was found”. Thereafter, the court ordered to seal the area.
Joint secretary, Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, SM Yasin claimed there was no “Shivling” in Gyanvapi mosque. Instead, it was a fountain, he had claimed.
The committee’s lawyers on May 23 filed an application in Varanasi district court, questioning maintainability of Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case which was filed by five Hindu women on August 18, 2021, seeking permission for daily worship at Maa Shringar Gauri sthal in Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex. Hearing in the matter took place on May 26 and May 30. The case is listed for next hearing on July 4.
