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Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay called for the establishment of a university and research centre within the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, asserting that the historic site should be developed into a global centre for spirituality and knowledge comparable to institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Upadhyay urged both the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments to formulate a comprehensive master plan for the overall development and restoration of the Bhojshala complex over the next five years. Referring to the historical significance of Bhojshala, he said the site was once considered among the major centres of learning in ancient India. "The third largest centre of knowledge after Nalanda and Taxila was Bhoj. Now the time has come to develop this place in the spiritual field and in the field of knowledge, just like Cambridge and Oxford... There is a need for a university and a research centre here... I request the state government, the Madhya Pradesh government, and the central government to make a plan for the overall development of Bhojshala and to re-establish Bhojshala on the world stage in the next five years..." Upadhyay told ANI. His remarks came days after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court recognised the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex as a temple in its May 15 ruling. Following the court order, devotees on Saturday offered prayers to Goddess Saraswati at the Bhojshala complex, marking another day of worship at the disputed site in Dhar district. In its ruling, the High Court held that the religious character of the disputed monument was that of Bhojshala, a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. "The religious character of the disputed area is held to be Bhojshala with a temple of Goddess Saraswati," the Court stated in its order. The High Court also quashed the 2003 arrangement made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) "to the extent restricting the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex and also the order permitting prayer by the Muslim community." The Court directed that the Union Government and the ASI would take decisions regarding administration and management of the Bhojshala temple, while clarifying that the ASI would continue to exercise overall control and supervision over preservation, conservation and regulation of religious practices at the protected monument under the ASI Act, 1958. On the Hindu communities' plea seeking the return of the idol of Goddess Saraswati allegedly housed in a London museum, the High Court noted that several representations had already been submitted to the Union Government. The High Court also asked the State government to consider granting land to the Muslim side for a mosque in Dhar district, in case the respondent moves an application. However, the Muslim side has moved the Supreme Court of India, challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order declaring the disputed site in Dhar as a temple. The disputed site in Dhar has long been claimed by Hindus as a temple and by Muslims as a mosque. Pending adjudication, the State authorities had put in place a shared arrangement for religious practices while the site remained under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which had also surveyed the complex. (ANI)
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