The Allahabad High Court has directed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a scientific survey of a structure, which Hindu petitioners claim is a "Shivling", inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi.
The Varanasi district court had denied the petitioners' request for the survey in October last year.
In the order today, the high court said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) should use a "scientific" method in surveying the structure and avoid damaging it.
The Gyanvapi mosque authorities have denied the structure is a Shivling, or relic of Lord Shiva. They said the structure is a part of a fountain in the "wazu khana", where people perform ablutions before offering namaz.
The structure was found earlier last year during a video survey carried out at the Gyanvapi mosque complex on the orders of a lower court, in response to a request by five Hindu women requesting year-long access to pray at a shrine inside the mosque complex.
Four of the five petitioners had requested a scientific investigation, including carbon dating, to establish the age of the "shivling". The women claim that ancient idols of Hindu gods and goddesses are located inside the mosque.
The mosque committee had questioned the maintainability of the request seeking daily worship of Hindu gods whose idols are located on an outer wall of the mosque.
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