Wed Nov 27 16:25:07 UTC 2024: ## Ajmer Dargah: Hindu Sena Files Plea Claiming Shiva Temple Exists Within Premises
**Ajmer, Rajasthan:** A civil court in Ajmer has accepted a petition filed by the Hindu Sena, claiming the existence of a Shiva temple within the premises of the revered Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The court has issued notices to the Dargah Committee and the Archaeological Department.
Vishnu Gupta, national president of the Hindu Sena, filed the petition citing a book by Hardayal Sharada that purportedly details the temple’s presence. The petition requests a survey of the Dargah by the archaeological department and permission for religious worship at the alleged site. It claims that the land currently occupied by the Dargah previously housed a Shiva temple where Jalabhishek (water offering) and pujas were performed.
This isn’t the first such petition filed by the Hindu Sena. A previous attempt before the Chief Judicial Magistrate was dismissed as being outside the court’s jurisdiction. The latest petition follows similar pleas regarding the Sambhal mosque and the Gyanvapi mosque.
The Sambhal case, involving a claim of a Harihar temple at the mosque’s location, resulted in a court-ordered survey and subsequent unrest. The Gyanvapi mosque case, involving claims of a Shivling within the mosque complex, led to a Supreme Court order sealing off a disputed area following a court-ordered survey.
The next hearing for the Ajmer Dargah case is scheduled for December 20, 2024. The developments raise concerns similar to those seen in other cases involving claims of ancient Hindu structures beneath or within existing religious sites.
First Piper 