Suit filed in Delhi court to restore Hindu and Jain temples in Qutub Minar

A civil court in Delhi will be hearing a petition filed seeking the restoration of 27 Hindu and Jain temples in the Qutub Minar complex located in Mehrauli.

The petition stated that the current minaret structure ‘Qutub Minar’ and the surrounding complex was originally a complex of twenty-seven “lofty” Hindu and Jain temples before they were destroyed in the 12th century by Qutb-ud-din Aibak who erected the present structures.

The suit has been filed by Hari Shankar Jain and Ranjana Agnihotri on behalf of deitiesLord Vishnu and Lord Rishabh Dev demanding the restoration of deities within the complex and the right to do puja and darshan of the deities.

The suit also said that deities of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, Lord Sun, Goddess Gauri, Lord Hanuman, Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishab Dev have the right to be “restored” within the temple complex at the site of Quwwatul Mosque Complex “after rebuilding it with the same honour and dignity”.

The plaintiffs have also prayed for creation of a trust to manage the puja, worship and maintenance of the property.

The suit also sought that the Union Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India be permanently restrained from interfering with necessary repair works, raising construction and making arrangement for pooja, darshan and worship of deities. The Trust Act, 1882, has invoked to direct the Government of India to establish trust and to give the trust the responsibility of managing the temple located inside the Qutub Minar.

“The structural inner and outer outlook of the building complex symbolizes with ancient Hindu and Jain temple Architecture. The corridor is completely of Vedic style having rectangular galleries with holy symbol engraved pillars. The invader had dismantled and defaced the idols only to degrade Hindu deities and demoralizes the worshipers,” the suit reads.

The information board of the Indian Archaeological Research Organisation in Qutub Minar said that the mosque of Quwat-ul-Islam was built in the premises with the debris of 27 temples.

The petitioners have based their pleas on the Ayodhya judgement given by the Supreme Court stating that the worshipper has a right to institute a suit to recover the property of a idol.

In September this year, a civil suit was filed at the Mathura court seeking ownership over the entire 13.37 acres of the Krishna Janmabhoomi land in Mathura, considered as the birth place of Lord Krishna, and has also sought the removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid built by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

(With inputs from Bar and Bench)