Hindu groups hold 'Mahavijay Mahotsav' at Bhojshala in MP after ASI nod

Hindu groups organised a victory celebration at the historic Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradeshs Dhar district on Tuesday, days after the ASI granted the community unrestricted access to the monument for worship. A large number of devotees from Dhar and other places thronged the complex as Mahavijay Mahotsav began with prayers to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati and installation of akhanda jyoti eternal flame, organisers said.

Hindu groups organised a ''victory celebration'' at the historic Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Tuesday, days after the ASI granted the community unrestricted access to the monument for worship. A large number of devotees from Dhar and other places thronged the complex as ''Mahavijay Mahotsav'' began with prayers to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) and installation of ''akhanda jyoti'' (eternal flame), organisers said. Bhoj Utsav Samiti member Gopal Sharma said a ''satyagraha'' is organised at Bhojshala every Tuesday, and this week's programme is being observed as a ''Mahasatyagraha'' in view of the recent verdict of the MP High Court and decisions of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Fireworks would be organised later in the day as part of the victory celebrations, members of the samiti said. Some devotees have also demanded that the original idol of Goddess Vagdevi, currently believed to be in London, be brought back and installed at Bhojshala. On Sunday, Hindu groups installed a replica of the deity's idol at the complex and held day-long rituals, the organisers said. The HC on Friday ruled that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while simultaneously quashing a decades-old ASI order that allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site. The ASI on Saturday granted the Hindus unrestricted access to the monument for worship and other purposes. As Bhojshala was a centre of learning and research on the Sanskrit language, grammar and literature besides being a temple, the Hindu community shall have unrestricted access to the complex ''in connection with the ancient practice of learning and worship of Goddess Saraswati,'' an official had said quoting the ASI order. The case was decided by the HC after both Hindus and Muslims staked claims over the 11th-century monument. A group of Jain community members had also staked a claim to the ASI-protected site. Following the court ruling last week, a large number of devotees visited the Bhojshala complex on Monday and Tuesday. Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti also briefed visitors about the historical pillars and inscriptions at the site.