A 52-page booklet has been prepared by the Yogi Adityanath government on the ‘Kashi Vishwanath Dham’ project, recording the multiple number of times the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was razed by rulers like Aurangzeb, Mohammad Gohri and Sultan Mohammad Shah, and how the Gyanvapi Mosque was built upon the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum).
Titled ‘Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham’s Glorious History and Present Grand Form’, the booklet has a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in which the PM has said the project has made it possible to visit the temple straight from the Ganga Ghats as it was in the historical times.
A 37-page version of this booklet is being distributed among all the homes of Varanasi.
The booklet is divided into six chapters on the importance of Kashi, the history of the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling, the development of Kashi under PM Modi, the new shape of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the importance of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, and the other temples of Kashi.
The PM in his speech at Kashi Vishwanath Dham on December 13 had invoked Aurangzeb to recount how invaders had tried to destroy Kashi city. The booklet says that on April 18, 1669, Aurangzeb had issued an order to destroy the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the order is preserved in the Asiatic Library in Kolkata.
“Then writer Saki Mustaid Khan in a book has recounted the demolition. Aurangzeb had ordered that the temple should not only be broken down but it should be ensured that the temple never comes up again. That is why on Aurangzeb’s orders, the garbhagriha of the temple was broken too to build the Gyanwapi Mosque here. Aurangzeb was informed of the temple’s destruction on September 2, 1669,” the booklet has claimed.
The booklet says that before that, in 1194, Mohammad Gohri had got the temple demolished through his lieutenant Sayed Jamaluddin. It says the Sanatan Samaj later got the temple reconstructed. The booklet says the temple was once again demolished in 1447 by Sultan Mahmood Shah of Jaunpur. It says the temple was then again built in 1585 with the help of Raja Todarmal who was a minister in the Akbar regime. “Narayan Bhatt got the temple reconstructed then. Todarmal’s son Govardhan, Govardhandhari and Dharu are credited for this religious work,” the booklet says.
It adds that in 1632, Shah Jahan had also ordered the destruction of the temple and sent in forces but due to opposition of Hindus, the main temple could not be touched by the forces but 63 other temples of Kashi were destroyed then.
After Aurangzeb’s destruction of the temple in 1669, Maratha leader Dattaji Scindhia and Malharrao Holkar between 1752 and 1780, and in 1770 Mahadji Scindhia also issued an order to recover cost of damages to the temple from emperor Shah Alam, the booklet further says.
“But by then, Kashi was under control of the East India Company and efforts to redevelop the temple stopped. Between 1770 and 1780, Indore’s Maharani Ahiliabai got the temple reconstructed. Maharaja Ranjit Singh got the temple’s dome covered with gold sheets, Gwalior’s Maharani Baijabai got the mandap made while the Maharaja of Nepal got a big Nandi statue installed here,” the booklet has recounted.
In 1810, Varanasi’s District Magistrate M Watson wrote to the ‘Vice-President in Counsel’ that the Gyanwapi premises should be handed over to the Hindus for Kashi Vishwanath Temple “but this could never become possible,” the booklet has claimed.
About the Project
The booklet says Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely involved in the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project and got a 3D model of it installed in his office. It says that over 300 properties were taken over without any litigation and 40 ancient temples were re-discovered during the construction of the project. The entire project is now spread over 50,000 square meters and Rs 386.7 crore was spent on its construction while Rs 489 crore was spent on the acquisition of the properties for the project.
The booklet says this project would lead to increase in religious activities in Kashi, promote employment opportunities, tourism and industrial activities and increase the per capita income of people in Varanasi. Local goods of Varanasi like Banarasi sarees will see more sales and an impetus will come to the service industry in Varanasi. The project will restore the historic grandeur of Varanasi, the booklet says.
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