A new twist has come in the Mathura’s Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case on August 14 with the filing of a petition in the Supreme Court. The Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust has filed a petition seeking a detailed scientific survey of the Shahi Idgah on the lines of the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi. It said in its petition that such construction cannot be considered as a mosque. Apart from this, the trust has argued against the validity of the agreement made in 1968, calling it a sham.The petition alleged that organisations, like the Shahi Masjid Idgah Management Committee, were involved in damage to property. Not only this, it has also been claimed that the pillars and symbols of the temple have been damaged. The use of generators has caused much damage to the walls and pillars.
Petitioner Ashutosh Pandey has also raised concerns about discrepancies in property registration. They argue that the land cannot be officially registered under the name ‘Idgah’ as its tax is being collected under the name of ‘Katra Keshav Dev, Mathura’.
The petitioner has demanded from the court that the ongoing ASI survey in the Gyanvapi campus of Varanasi is an inspirational one. The Gyanvapi survey, which has attracted attention, aims to find out the historical and architectural significance of the site.
Shahi Idgah didn’t exist in revenue records, it is Katra Keshav Dev till date
The Mathura dispute has arisen over who is the owner of the 13.37 acres of land. A portion of this land, about 11 acres, is the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, and nearby, on 2.37 acres, is the Shahi Idgah Mosque. The Hindu side argues that according to government records, even today, the entire land belongs to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi or Katra Keshav Dev.
This dispute started about 350 years ago when Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of Shri Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura in 1670. Just a year before that, the Gyanvapi temple in Kashi was also demolished. Aurangzeb’s order was followed and the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple was demolished. Later, the Shahi Idgah Mosque was built on the same land.
The destruction of the temple was documented by the Italian traveller Nicolas Manucci, who visited the Mughal court. He wrote about his travels and in his writings and mentioned the destruction of Shri Krishna Janmasthan during the month of Ramzan.
Later, in 1770, during a conflict between the Mughals and the Marathas, the Marathas emerged victorious and recovered the holy land from the Muslims. He rebuilt the temple, which was then known as Keshavdev Temple. Marathas went back, but due to fear of Muslims and lack of money, Hindus could not take care of the temple. At the same time, the temple got dilapidated and collapsed in a severe earthquake.
The British came to Mathura in the 19th century and auctioned the land in 1815. It was bought by the king of Kashi, who wanted to build a temple there. However, due to heavy opposition from Muslims and lack of intervention by the British, the temple could not be built, leading to a dispute that lasted for almost a century.
A turning point came in 1944 when Hindu industrialist Jugal Kishore Birla bought the land from the heirs of Raja Patnimal. After India gained independence, the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Trust was established in 1951, which got the ownership of this land.
Funded by donations, the trust started the construction of the temple in 1953, which continued till 1958. In 1958, a new organisation, the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, was formed. In 1968, this organisation made an agreement with the Muslim side under the pressure of the then government. It was said in this agreement that both the temple and the mosque would remain on the land.
Significantly, the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, which has entered into this agreement, has no legal claim on the birthplace. According to Shri Krishna Janmasthan Trust, the real owner of the land is not the service organisation but the trust itself. An essential detail is that the land in question is recorded as “Katra Keshav Dev” in the revenue records from the Mughal and British times till date. The revenue of this land is deposited in the government treasury in the name of Katra Keshav Das. Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust has filed the petition in Supreme Court for Scientific Survey to prove that beneath the Shahi Eidgah Mosque, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple exists.