Hostility is rising steadily in various states of India over the demolition of mosques or claims that temples stand within them. This hostility, built around the country’s minority Muslims, is spreading from one state to another. Hindu nationalist groups have recently sharpened their claim over the historic Adina Mosque in the Pandua area of Malda district in West Bengal. Their claim is that the Adina Mosque is in fact the ancient Shiva temple of Adinath — and around that claim a Shiva puja and a rudrabhishek have been organised in the area near the mosque.
On Monday a move was made to install a Shiva lingam within 50 metres of the roughly 653-year-old structure. The organisers said a rudrabhishek to Adinath had been arranged there at the same time — a special puja in Hinduism in which the Shiva lingam is bathed in water and panchamrit to the recitation of sacred mantras.
The matter came into fresh discussion recently when the BJP member of the legislative assembly for Rajarhat, Tarunjyoti Tiwari, claimed in the monsoon session of the West Bengal assembly that the Adina Mosque was the Adinath temple.
According to the archaeology department, Sultan Sikandar Shah built the Adina Mosque in 1373 CE. Since the change of government in the state, however, a section of people have been claiming it is an ancient Adinath Shiva temple, on the ground that various carvings on the structure bear representations of Shiva and other Hindu deities.
A case over the matter is currently pending before the courts. In that situation the organisation of a Shiva puja in the area near the mosque is being seen as significant. The surrounding area has also been decorated for the occasion.
One of the principal organisers, Kajal Goswami, claims that various carvings on the structure carry evidence of the presence of Adinath and other Hindu deities. In his account, it is essentially an ancient Shiva temple that was later turned into a mosque.
Several local residents made similar claims, saying idols of Shiva and Durga were recovered during archaeological excavation. They have therefore demanded that the structure be re-established as a temple.
Speaking for the Adinath Shiva Temple and Fair Committee, Kajal Goswami said they have long been running a campaign for this demand. Steps will be taken in future to install a Shiva lingam at a specified place in accordance with the court’s directions. He also noted that the structure is currently under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
One of the elements of the long-running controversy around the monument is the presence of Hindu iconography carved on some of its basalt stone walls and doorways.
Architectural historians generally consider these carvings to be the result of the reuse of material from earlier structures — a common practice in medieval construction — while scholars have also described the monument as a synthesis of Islamic and indigenous architectural traditions.
Debate continues among historians and local groups, however, over the exact origin of the reused material.
With the campaign gaining fresh strength, the district administration has tightened security around the monument.
Although the Hindu organisation has said this year’s rites will be confined to the nearby temple and that any future claim over the monument will be raised only through judicial intervention, recent developments have once again placed the centuries-old Adina Mosque at the centre of a contested debate bound up with archaeology, history, religion and politics.
The BJP now governs West Bengal, and the dispute is expected to remain politically significant as competing narratives about history and heritage continue to shape public opinion.
Malda district police have also issued a public notice after news of the proposed religious event at the site spread on social media.
The notice reminded the public that the monument is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. It warned that strict legal action would be taken against the organisation of unauthorised religious activity or any attempt to alter the protected structure.
Kajal Goswami said there are also plans to meet the relevant union minister and the prime minister of India over the matter. He expressed the hope that the Adinath Shiva temple would be re-established through the courts.
As the historical identity and ownership of the Adina Mosque are currently before the courts, however, no final decision has yet been reached.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report