Bengal's Malda tense over Shivling installation near disputed 14th-century mosque
Members of Hindu organisations and numerous devotees have thronged Malda in West Bengal to install a massive Shiva Lingam near the 14th-century Adina Mosque, reviving
Members of Hindu organisations and numerous devotees have thronged Malda in West Bengal to install a massive Shiva Lingam near the 14th-century Adina Mosque, reviving the 'mandir-masjid' debate. The event comes amid a long-running dispute over the Adina Mosque complex, with some Hindu organisations claiming that the ASI-protected site originally belonged to an ancient Adinath Shiva Temple. Organisers have claimed that the Shiva Lingam is being installed in compliance with the Calcutta High Court's directions, while expressing their intention to build an Adinath Temple at the site in the future. Read Full Story Police said annual worship is held at the site during the holy month of Shravan (July-August), and adequate security has been arranged to ensure that the event remains peaceful. With the BJP now in power in the state, the Malda Police is anticipating a large crowd and have deployed heavy security across the area to maintain law and order. "This temple is located about 50 to 60 metres away from the site. The puja is being organised there. As far as I know, this puja is held here every year. This time, it is being organised on a somewhat larger scale, but the puja is held every year during the month of Sawan," Malda Superintendent of Police Anupam Singh told India Today. Members of the Adinath Puratan Shiv Mandir committee recently performed a puja near the ASI-protected Adina Mosque in Pandua and announced that a 3.6-foot-high, 1.5-tonne Shiva Lingam brought from Tarakeswar in Hooghly district would be installed at a nearby temple during the ongoing month of Shravan, reported news agency PTI.
The organisation also repeated its long-standing claim that the original Adinath Temple once stood at the site where the mosque now stands and said it would seek legal permission to eventually place the Shiva Lingam inside the protected monument. The renewed mobilisation has led the district administration to tighten security around the site. Malda district police have also issued a public advisory after reports on social media about proposed religious programmes there, reminding people that the monument is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, and warning that any unauthorised religious activity or attempt to alter the structure would invite strict legal action. "We will conduct puja and install the Shiva Lingam inside our temple on Monday. The original Adinath Temple was demolished to construct the present mosque. We will follow the law and do not want any disturbance," Kajal Goswami, chief patron of the Adinath Puratan Shiv Mandir committee and a BJP leader, told PTI. "We want to install the Shiva Lingam inside the mosque premises, but only after following due legal procedures and if a competent court permits it. We will not indulge in any unlawful activity," he added. The committee has said the existing Adinath Temple, about 100 metres from the mosque complex, is around 120 years old and that remnants of the original temple survive within the protected monument. Goswami also alleged that several Hindu and Buddhist motifs, apart from a Shiva Lingam, can be seen inside the mosque complex.
The BriefWire