Madhya Pradesh High Court Declares Disputed Bhojshala Site a Saraswati Temple, Ends Friday Namaz Arrangement

Ending a long running legal battle over the disputed Bhojshala- Kamal Maula Complex in Dhar, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled that the structure is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. In addition, the court also suggested that the Muslim community seek alternative land from the state government for the construction of a mosque elsewhere in the district.

The court struck down a 2003 order issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that had permitted Muslims to offer Friday prayers at the premises under a shared arrangement. While the ASI will continue to oversee the conservation and management of the monument, the bench clarified that the right to conduct religious rituals at the site would remain with the Hindu side.

Delivering the judgment, a division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi said available historical material pointed towards the site’s origins as a centre of Sanskrit learning associated with Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty and a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. “We have noted continuity of Hindu worship at the site has never been extinguished,” the bench observed. “We record findings that historical literature establishes the character of the disputed area as Bhojshala, a centre of Sanskrit learning associated with Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty,” the court added.

The ruling comes after years of competing claims over the monument in Dhar district, where Hindus regard Bhojshala as a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, also known as Vagdevi, built during the reign of Raja Bhoj. The Muslim side, meanwhile, has maintained that the structure has functioned for centuries as the Kamal Maula Mosque and opposed claims seeking exclusive Hindu rights over the premises.

In another significant direction, the High Court asked authorities to consider efforts to bring back an ancient idol of Goddess Saraswati currently housed at the British Museum in London. According to historical accounts presented before the court, the idol had originally been installed at the site during Raja Bhoj’s rule between 1010 and 1055 AD, when Bhojshala was believed to be an important educational and cultural centre. “The Archaeological Survey of India shall have full supervisory control over preservation and conservation,” the bench said. Referring to requests seeking the idol’s return, the court added, “The petitioners have made a number of representations before the Government, which may consider the representations to bring back the idol.”

The verdict follows an extensive legal process involving historical records, archaeological findings, competing religious claims and thousands of pages of submissions from both parties. The bench had reserved its judgment on May 12 after hearing detailed arguments.

The dispute had intensified after the High Court, in March 2024, directed the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex. The survey, which began later that month, lasted 98 days before the ASI submitted a report spanning more than 2,000 pages. 

According to the findings placed before the court, the ASI indicated that a large structure dating back to the Parmar dynasty predated the mosque and that portions of the current structure appeared to contain reused temple material. The Hindu petitioners argued that coins, inscriptions and sculptures recovered during the survey supported their claim that the complex was originally a temple. The Muslim side, however, challenged the findings and told the court that the ASI report was “biased” and prepared to strengthen the Hindu petitioners’ case. Until now, a 2003 ASI arrangement had allowed Hindus to pray at the site on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer namaz on Fridays, an arrangement that remained in force for over two decades before Friday’s ruling.