Kashi

Kashi Bindu-Madhav Temple

French traveler Trevenier, who made 6 voyages between 1636 and 1668, called Bind-Madhav Temple, a “Great Pagoda” and “the most impressive monument” in Kashi.

Tulsidas says that Bindu Madhav is Kashi’s bliss. Aurangzeb destroyed it on Sep 13, 1862, and constructed Alamgir Mosque.

Hindu Sanyasis worshipped the Ganesha inside the Gyanvapi mosque even in the 19th century. It was only after congress came into power that the Hindu worship at this place was completely stopped. When we talk about Gyanvapi, secularists say that old issues should not be raked up. But this is not an old issue in the first place. The Hindu worship at Gyanvapi was stopped only after 1947.

Aurangzeb did not build Gyanvapi mosque

Muslims claim Aurangzeb built Gyanvapi. However, there is not a single inscription left by him. There is only one Muslim inscription in Gyanvapi & it dates to 1792, 125 years later. There is no proof Aurangzeb built Gyanvapi.

It must be remembered that even in Maasir-I-Alamgiri, there is only a mention of destruction of Kashi Vishvanath temple. There is no mention of construction of any Mosque on the site. It could have been built much later for all we know.

There is no mention of any such word as ‘Gyanvapi Mandir’ or ‘Gyanvapi Mosque’ in Maasir-I-Alamgiri. Attached is the English translation of the relevant portion from Maasir-I-Alamgiri by Jadunath Sarkar. Aurangzeb gives an order to pull down temples in Thatta, Multan and Varanasi. Maasir-I-Alamgiri then states Aurangzeb’s officers pulled down “Kashi Vishvanath temple” at Banaras. But there is no mention of construction of any ‘Gyanvapi Mosque’.

Pulling down temples doesn’t always mean construction of Mosques. That Aurangzeb obviously demolished Kashi Vishvanath (a fact well known to everybody) does not necessarily imply that he built Gyanvapi Mosque. The same Maasir-I-Alamgiri also tell us Aurangzeb pulled down several temples in Mewar, but there is not a single Alamgiri mosque to be found anywhere in Mewar.

If you at least read the second SS that you have posted, you will see that it is not even from the time of Aurangzeb. It is an inscription which dates from 1792. It claims Aurangzeb built Gyanvapi Mosque. But such claims are just that. Claims. In the Mosque of Gwalior, it is written by Raja Bhoj converted to Islam and built the Mosque 1400 years ago. In Cheraman Juma Mosque inscription, It is mentioned that Cherman Perumal saw Prophet splitting moon, converted to Islam and built the Mosque 1400 years ago. Does a mere mention in the inscriptions make such stories true? It obviously doesn’t which is why no historian worth his salt takes such claims at face value. It is well known to historians that many mosques attribute their founding to famous personalities for the sake of legitimacy. According to art historian Dhaky, the design of this mosque is indicative of its construction from 18th century. We have accounts of several Hindu pilgrims visiting the place after Aurangzeb, indicating that the mosque was not yet constructed. At any rate, there is no evidence that Aurangzeb built Gyanvapi Mosque. Neither in Maasir-I-Alamgiri nor in the inscription recovered by ASI from Gyanvapi.

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