In what could spark a fresh controversy, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday called for rebuilding the ancient temples at the Qutub Minar complex in the national capital and allowing resumption of Hindu rituals and prayers there.
“We visited major parts of the site and it was heart-rending to see the condition of the idols of Hindu deities… Qutub Minar was built with materials obtained after demolishing 27 Hindu temples. The superimposed structure was built just to tease the country,” Bansal said.
“We demand that all the 27 temples, which were demolished at the site in the past, be rebuilt and Hindus be allowed to offer prayers there,” he said, PTI reported.
This came after a group of VHP leaders, including its national spokesperson Vinod Bansal, visited the compound of the 12th-century monument.
Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993, Qutub Minar is a minaret and “victory tower” founded by the Tomar Rajputs.
Earlier on Friday, National Monuments Authority (NMA) chairman and BJP leader Tarun Vijay raised the issue of the “disrespectful” placement of Ganesha idols in the Qutub Minar complex.
“The idols are currently placed at a most disrespectful place, upside down at the feet level of the visitors. The idols should either be removed or placed respectfully inside the Qutub complex,” he said.
Last year, a Delhi court rejected a civil suit seeking restoration of Hindu and Jain deities and right to worship within the Qutub Minar complex, saying that past wrongs cannot be the basis for disturbing the peace in present and future.
The lawsuit claimed that 27 temples were partly demolished by Qutubdin Aibak, a general in the army of Mohamad Gauri, and Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was raised inside the complex by reusing the material.
Rejecting the suit, civil Judge Neha Sharma said, “India had a culturally rich history and has seen challenging times. It has been ruled over by numerous dynasties. Nevertheless, history has to be accepted as a whole. Can the good be retained and bad be deleted from our history?”
