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Amid the ongoing legal tussle between the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath has reiterated the Hindu side’s claim that “Gyanvapi is an incarnation of Lord Vishwanath (Lord Shiva) himself”.
CM Yogi Adityanath said that calling Gyanvapi a mosque is ‘unfortunate’.
What did CM Adityanath say?
“Unfortunately people call Gyanvapi a mosque in other words…but the Gyanvapi is actually Vishwanath Ji, (Unfortunately people call Gyanvapi by different names, but Gyanvapi itself is the form of Lord Vishwanath,
CM Yogi Adityanath made a reference to sage Adi Shankara while narrating an anecdote about his “meeting” with Lord Vishwanath in Kashi.
Adityanath made these remarks while inaugurating an international seminar on “Contribution of Nath Panth in building a harmonious society” at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, where he also highlighted the spiritual significance of Kashi and the revered site of Gyanvapi.
Chief Minister Adityanath cited a Hindu legend to support his views on social unity and religious places. He told how Lord Shiva had tested Adi Shankaracharya in Varanasi by disguising himself as a lower caste person and challenging his understanding of Advaita.
According to the legend, Acharya had tried to find out the real identity of the ‘low caste person’. CM Adityanath said that this was when Shiva told Acharya that he was ‘Vishwanath’, whose worship Acharya had come to Kashi to worship.
Adityanath said, “Unfortunately people call Gyanvapi a mosque in other words.”
Citing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), CM Adityanath said, “If I call Gyanvapi a mosque, there will be controversy…. Those who have been given vision by God should see what the trident is doing inside the mosque? We did not put it there, the walls (of Gyanvapi) are screaming. There is a Jyotirlinga there, there are many idols”, reports Deccan Herald,
What was the opposition’s reaction to CM Adityanath’s statement?
Reacting to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s statement, SP spokesperson Abbas Haider told PTI, “It seems that he (Yogi Adityanath) does not respect the court. The matter is pending in the court. It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister has taken oath on the Constitution, but it seems that he is not giving due respect to the court.”
“They are dividing the society for their vested political interests. The mandate given by the people to the BJP also shows that they have not addressed the issues of the people,” Haider alleged.
The Gyanvapi dispute has long been the focus of a legal battle, with Hindu parties arguing that the mosque was allegedly built over the remains of a pre-existing temple. Meanwhile, the Muslim side has contested this claim.
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