Dhar, Madhya Pradesh – Peace prevailed at the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, on Friday, as Hindus performed puja to celebrate Basant Panchami and Muslims offered Namaz. The Supreme Court had directed for the religious activities to be split, with Hindus permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, and Muslims allowed to offer Namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm.

The 11th-century complex has long been a point of contention between the two communities. Hindus consider Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while Muslims refer to it as the Kamal Maula Mosque.

The Supreme Court's order came after a petition by the Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), seeking exclusive rights for Hindus to offer prayers on Basant Panchami. The application argued that the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) 2003 order did not address the situation of Basant Panchami coinciding with Friday prayers. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing HFJ, brought the matter urgently before the court.

To ensure peace and order, approximately 8,000 police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the city. District Collector Priyank Mishra stated that arrangements were made to ensure that prayers from both communities could proceed without interruption. Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi added that the entire city was mapped, and sensitive areas were identified.

Devotees, adorned with saffron flags and flowers, gathered at the historic site at sunrise. Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti initiated the puja by installing an image of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, amidst chanting of Vedic mantras. The 'Akhand Puja,' a continuous sequence of prayers from sunrise to sunset, commenced with offerings in the 'havan kund'.

The Supreme Court also directed the Madhya Pradesh High Court to provide copies of the ASI's scientific survey of the disputed site to the opposing parties. The ASI's 2003 order allows Hindus to worship at Bhojshala every Tuesday, while Muslims are permitted to offer prayers on Fridays.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, appealed to both sides to observe mutual respect and cooperate with the state and district administration to maintain law and order. The court also directed that a list of Muslims attending Namaz be given to the district administration.

Muslims who were permitted to offer Friday prayers at the complex, were brought in through a back gate, wearing volunteer jackets to render them indistinguishable from security personnel as they were moved to a designated spot at the complex where the dome of the structure was concealed with a white cloth.

Historical research indicates that the Bhojshala complex, including the Vagdevi temple, existed centuries before the Kamal Maula Mosque. According to Radheshyam Yadav, the mosque was built after dismantling ancient Hindu temples.