Ajmer court issues notice to centre, ASI over claim of Shiva temple beneath Ajmer Sharif Dargah
An Ajmer court issued notices to the Union Minority Affairs Ministry and ASI over a Hindu Sena lawsuit claiming a Shiva temple existed beneath the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The plea cites historical evidence and seeks an ASI survey. The case’s next hearing is December 20.
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FollowAn Ajmer court has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) regarding a lawsuit filed by a Hindu organization claiming that a Shiva temple existed at the site of the revered Ajmer Sharif Dargah before the shrine was built. The court took this step on Wednesday following a plea from the Hindu Sena, which cited "historical evidence" to back its claim.
The Ajmer Munsif Civil and Criminal Court (west) has scheduled the next hearing of the case for December 20. The Dargah Khwaja Saheb Committee, which operates under the minority affairs ministry, is the third respondent in the lawsuit.
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The lawsuit was filed by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta in September. According to the organization, remnants of a Shiva temple were allegedly used in constructing the dargah, which is a shrine to the 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. To support their claim, the Hindu Sena’s legal team presented to the court a copy of the 1911 book Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive by former judicial officer Har Bilas Sarda. The book purportedly mentions that materials from a "pre-existing" Shiva temple were used to build the dargah, according to a report on TOI.
Advocates Yogesh Suroliya, Ram Swaroop Bishnoi, and Vijay Sharma, representing the Hindu Sena, argued that the site had been a temple where religious rituals were conducted until it was allegedly razed. They also requested an ASI survey to verify claims of temple remnants, including evidence of a sanctum sanctorum in the basement and pieces of the original structure in the dargah's dome.
The Ajmer case is similar to other disputes like the Gyanvapi mosque case in Varanasi, where Hindus claim the mosque was built on a destroyed temple. The ASI has already surveyed the Gyanvapi mosque under court orders. Another similar case is the Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute in Mathura, about the land where the Shahi Idgah stands.
The Hindu Sena’s petition in Ajmer faced delays at first due to jurisdiction issues. Later, the district judge transferred it to the Munsif court (west). More delays happened when the court asked for the petition to be translated into Hindi with evidence.
The petition claims that a Shiva temple existed at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah site, supported by 38 pages of references. Advocates argue that the 1991 Places of Worship Act, which preserves the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947, does not apply here.
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Syed Sarwar Chishty, secretary of the Anjuman Moinia Fakhria, rejected the claims, calling them baseless and harmful to communal harmony. He emphasized that the dargah is a sacred site for Muslims worldwide.
The court has asked the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs and ASI to respond before the next hearing on December 20.
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