Can be said that Hindu temple existed before: Survey report on Gyanvapi mosque

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report revealed that a large Hindu temple may have once existed at the site of Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, a senior lawyer, representing the Hindu side, said after receiving a detailed survey report.

This survey was initiated after the Allahabad High Court allowed the ASI to continue its survey on the Gyanvapi mosque premises, upholding an order from a Varanasi district court.

In the press briefing on Thursday, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side, said, "The ASI has stated that it can be said that there existed a large Hindu Temple before the construction of the existing structure. This is the conclusive finding of the ASI."

Jain said that the ASI survey points towards the presence of a large Hindu temple that predates the current structure. The ASI report, which included a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, has questions about the historical layers on the site. 

From August 4, the ASI surveyed the Gyanvapi premises, except the wazookhana, (a small reservoir for Muslim devotees to perform ritual ablutions) to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The survey was completed on November 3.