Dhar, Jan 23 : Peace prevailed at the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Friday as Hindus performed puja to mark Basant Panchami festival while Muslims offered namaz within the same premises but at a different location.
The puja began in the early hours under heavy security and will continue till sunset.
As per the Supreme Court’s directions, Muslims offered prayers at a place allocated to them between 1 to 3 pm, the district administration said in a release.
No untoward incident or breach of peace was reported.
Around 8,000 police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the city.
As Basant Panchami fell on Friday this year, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a time-sharing formula to prevent potential friction, ruling that the Hindu community will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, and the Muslim side will be allowed to offer namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm.
Devotees began gathering at the historic site, decked in saffron flags and flowers, at sunrise.
Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti, a local organisation, began the puja by installing an image of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, amidst chanting of Vedic mantras, and the ‘Akhand Puja’ (a continuous sequence of prayers from sunrise to sunset) was initiated by offering oblations in the ‘havan kund’.
Security personnel covered every corner of the disputed complex.
The Hindu community’s prayers are proceeding smoothly amid tight security arrangements, District Magistrate Priyank Mishra told PTI.
“We have made arrangements to ensure that prayers of both the Hindu and Muslim sides can be conducted without any interruption,” he said.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi said that the entire city has been mapped and sensitive areas have been identified.
He said that the disputed complex has been divided into six sectors, while the city has been divided into seven zones, and every street is being monitored.
Drones and CCTV cameras are also being used to scan the area, he added.
Awasthi said that social media is also being monitored to prevent the spread of any inflammatory messages.
As the day progressed, the number of Hindu devotees rose.
“We are delighted. We made grand preparations for the Basant Panchami puja. We are grateful to the Supreme Court for allowing Akhand Puja at Bhojshala,” Ashok Jain, a patron of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti, told reporters.
Sarika Sharma, who attended the puja with her family, said, “We are happy to have a darshan of Goddess Saraswati on Basant Panchami day. We want a permanent solution to the Bhojshala issue soon.”
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim community refers to the monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The complex is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, which allows Hindus to worship at Bhojshala every Tuesday, while Muslims are permitted to offer prayers on Fridays. (PTI)
