Basant Panchami is dedicated to Devi Saraswati, the goddess of learning and an auspicious occasion to visit shrines in her honour.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision to designate the Bhojshala complex as a Goddess Saraswati temple, a ruling that also quashed Muslim prayer rights at the historic site.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has declared the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, suggesting the Muslim community seek land elsewhere for a mosque.
Hindu groups organised a 'victory celebration' at the historic Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district after the ASI granted the community unrestricted access to the monument for worship.
A Hindu party has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court regarding the Bhojshala complex dispute, seeking a hearing before any orders are passed on appeals against the Madhya Pradesh High Court's decision.
The Supreme Court has directed that a separate open space be provided adjacent to the disputed Bhojshala site in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar for offering namaz on Fridays, pending the final resolution of the case. The court emphasised the sensitive nature of the matter and urged both Hindu and Muslim sides to exercise patience.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea of the Muslim side alleging that the alternative site identified by the Madhya Pradesh government for offering namaaz was located too far from the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar.
A fresh plea has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order, which said that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
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 namaaz within the same premises but at a different location.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court referenced the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict principles while ruling on the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque complex case, determining the site to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
Devotees entered the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district on Saturday to offer prayers after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court declared the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex a temple and granted the Hindu side the right to worship at the site.
Members of the Muslim community in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district said they would offer their first Friday namaz at home and wear black bands after the court setback in the Bhojshala case.
The Madhya Pradesh government has challenged the legal validity of a 1935 order from the former Dhar princely state concerning the religious status of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque, arguing it cannot be considered law.
Hindus will offer prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami while Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on Friday.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has informed the Madhya Pradesh High Court that a massive structure dating back to the Parmar kings existed at the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex, and the current structure was built from the remains of temples.
Over 1,500 police personnel have been deployed around the Bhojshala in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the first Friday since the high court declared it a Vagdevi temple.
The application filed by the Hindu Front of Justice, which is the original petitioner in the case before the Madhya Pradesh high court, and others said that after the April 1 order of the apex court, proceeding before the HC has also virtually stayed.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday submitted its scientific survey report of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal-Maula mosque complex to the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court.
This Haryana village believes it has 'found' the Saraswati river of the Vedas.
The new-look, $10 million Minneapolis Hindu Temple is a labour of love and faith, discovers Arthur J Pais
Coming out in support of hijab-wearing Muslim girl students not allowed entry in educational institutes in Karnataka, he said the goddess Saraswati does not differentiate and gives knowledge to all.
The security has been stepped up in view of the Friday prayers to be offered by the Muslim community members at the site, a police official said.
The Supreme Court's 2023 order refusing to stay a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex has sparked claims over several other disputed places of worship across India. This has led to several court cases, including one in Mathura where a survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex was ordered, and another in Ajmer where a claim was made that a Shiva temple existed within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The article also highlights a dispute over the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh, which Hindus consider a temple and Muslims consider a mosque. The Supreme Court's order has reignited debates about the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the change of character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947.
In an embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar, one of its MLAs has been accused of hurting Hindu sentiments by allegedly berating Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati and Lord Hanuman.
However, a division bench of Justices SA Dharmadhikari and Gajendra Singh made it clear the ASI won't be given any more time at the end of this 8-week period.
Hindus offered prayers at the contentious Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Tuesday, with a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) continuing its court-mandated survey.
Bill Aitken came to India nearly 60 years ago. He never returned. An Indian citizen since 1972, he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how India changed his life forever.
Aggrieved by the direction, Dhar city's head cleric Waqar Sadiq said they (Kamal Maula Mosque management committee) will challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.
Prayagraj is a must-visit place in 2025, but in January and February you can't miss the Maha Kumbh, a spectacular event like no other.
The 45-day Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj concluded on Mahashivratri with a record-breaking number of pilgrims taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. Over 65 crore pilgrims participated in the event, which took place once every 12 years.
'You have to separate the concept of India as a nation State which is very young and the Upanishadic wisdom which is timeless.'
If you're planning to visit Bali this year, you're on the right track; the recent TripAdvisor survey has listed it as a hot favourite vacation destination among Indian travellers.
Eminent Gujarati novelist, poet and critic Raghuveer Chaudhary has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2015, the literary organisation has announced.
The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex in the morning.
Mahalaya, though essentially about the goddess, wasn't religious for us. And it isn't for most Bengalis. Mahalaya is an emotion. It's gooseflesh for a memory. A welling up of happy tears. A celebration of what is to come.
'The Goddesses were a good example to depict how women were looked upon with so much respect which has gradually vanished somewhere.' 'People don't think or believe that whom they are worshipping are like the real women in their lives.'
Three different invitations were sent out for the wedding and the receptions with top-run guests being sent a large red box that contained an intricate chest incorporating a mini silver temple featuring gold idols of various Hindu deities, including Lord Ganesh, Radha-Krishna, and Goddess Durga.
The Indian American community in New Jersey, US, has been celebrating the festival with fervour since October 8.
Nitish Kumar has failed to curb communal forces and hoodlums across communities. And that is ominous for Bihar's present and future, warns Mohammad Sajjad.
When you think of Indian Maharajas of yore what is the one thing that comes to mind? Jewels! And that is exactly what the world will witness at Christie's, New York during its upcoming auction -- "Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence". The "unprecedented group" of objects is from The Al Thani Collection of the royal family of Qatar. It is expected to see competitive bidding from across the globe. As per Christie's, this collection is poised to be the most valuable auction of jewellery and jewelled objects. The current record is held by The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor, which totals $144 million (Rs 1,003 crore). Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's jade hilted dagger, the priceless jewels of the Nizams of Hyderabad, and a string of pearls belonging to Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur are among the 400 royal artefacts that would be auctioned on Wednesday. Here's a glimpse of the astounding jewels that will be auctioned.
