Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath next on the agenda of VHP

The VHP has called a meeting on February 16 to push for the demand and devise strategy on the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.

The Gyanvapi mosque shares a boundary wall with the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

A civil court in Varanasi will start hearing the Gyanvapi Temple-Masjid complex case from February 17.

The VHP, which had earlier claimed that there is no plan to take up the causes of Kashi and Mathura, has now started pushing for them, emboldened by the Supreme Court verdict in Ramjanmabhoomi Babri mosque case.

The VHP wants to free the Gyanvapi premises of the mosque which is situated near the temple.

Milind Parande, Secretary General of Vishva Hindu Parishad, though was guarded on response when asked about the issue, but said the Kashi Vishwanath temple is a symbol of Hindu religious identity, which cannot be abandoned.

The Hindu party in Gyanvapi Temple-Masjid complex case has sought an archaeological excavation on the temple premises in Varanasi.

The Gyanvapi Mosque, which adjoined the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669 after allegedly demolishing a Hindu temple.

Hindus claim that the original Vishwanath Temple existed on the site of the alleged demolition. An application was filed by Hindus in the Varanasi district court in 1991 seeking ownership of the disputed site. The Muslim side is also a party in the case.