Paper
Gyanvapi - A Mosque or A Temple: Archeology, Identity, Memory and Politics in an Indian City
presenters
Arvind Prakash Suraj
Nationality: india
Residence: India
Presence:Face to Face/ On Site
India's microcosm is Varanasi. Some of the oldest Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Muslim ruins are in the city. After the 1990s, Vishwanath Temple and Gyanvapi Mosque drew everyone. This ranged from religious tourism to Hindutva politics over Hindu pilgrimage sites after the Babari demolition. The controversy over the Gyan Vapi Mosque, near the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, grows as the BJP government uplifted the temple. The Muslim Rulers destroyed the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which historians think was reconstructed into the mosque. Despite its history, Hindus worship Shringar Gauri in the mosque, while Muslims pray in the rest. The Hindu claim to the mosque as a temple soured after the 1990s. The place was claimed after various local civil and Allahabad High Court suits. The Indian Archeological Survey also surveyed and reported. India's 1991 Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act promotes communal peace. The statute does not apply here. Long-term worship and the uproar have left Hindus and Muslims in the area and the country in public memory. Many groups have interpreted archaeological survey results in their own language. Interpretations have likely caused ripples. This study briefly analyzes the Gyanvapi stir and its translational impact on the current political debate. The article also presents community-perceived archaeological interpretations. Such interpretations are used in this research to decipher a rippling impact for both populations. The article claims that the debate over historical and problematic houses of worship shapes communities' public memories, identities, and political discourse. This paper uses secondary materials and a 2023 ethnographic survey for qualitative research.
Keywords:
Gyanvapi, Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Hindutva.