Gyanvapi Mosque

Basic information

Location Varanasi , India
Geographic coordinates 25.311229°N 83.010461°E
Affiliation Islam
State Uttar Pradesh
Architectural description :Completed 1669

Specifications
Dome(s) 3
Minaret(s) 2
Minaret height 71 m

The Gyanvapi mosque is located in Varanasi , Uttar
Pradesh, India. It was constructed by the Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb after he demolished the original
Kashi Vishwanath temple at the site. It is located north
of Dashaswamedh Ghat, near Lalita Ghat along the
river Ganges.

It is a Jama Masjid located in the heart of the
Varanasi city. It is administered by Anjuman
Inthazamiya Masajid (AIM)

History

The mosque was built by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1664
CE, after destroying the Kashi Vishwanath temple
located on the site. The mosque is named after
Gyanvapi ("the well of knowledge"), which is situated
between the temple and the mosque. The well is
believed by Hindus to be the location where the sacred
Shiva linga icon of the temple was hidden, before the
temple was razed by Aurangzeb.

The temple had been destroyed and rebuilt a number
of times earlier. The temple structure that existed
prior to the construction of the mosque was most
probably built by Raja Man Singh during Akbar 's reign.

Aurangzeb's demolition of the temple was motivated
by the escape of the Maratha king Shivaji, and the
rebellion of local zamindars (landowners). Jai Singh I ,
the grandson of Raja Man Singh, is said to have
facilitated Shivaji's escape from Agra . Some of the
zamindars may have helped Shivaji avoid the Mughal
authorities. In addition, there were reports of Brahmins
interfering with the Islamic teaching. The temple's
demolition was intended as a warning to the anti-
Mughal factions and Hindu religious leaders in the city.

Demolition concerns

The Maratha ruler Malhar Rao Holkar (1693-1766)
wanted to demolish the mosque and reconstruct

Vishweshwar temple at the site. However, he never
actually did that. Later, in 1780, his daughter-in-law
Ahilyabai Holkar constructed the present Kashi
Vishwanath Temple adjancent to the mosque.

In the 1990s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
campaigned to reclaim the sites of the mosques
constructed after demolition of Hindu temples. After
the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992,
about a thousand policemen were deployed to prevent
a similar incident at the Gyanvapi mosque site. The
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, who supported the
demand for reclaiming Babri mosque, opposed VHP's
similar demand for Gyanvapi, on the grounds that it
was an actively used mosque.The mosque receives
protection under the Places of Worship (Special
Provisions) Act, 1991.

Architecture

The façade is modeled partially on the Taj Mahal's
entrance.The mosque features 71m high minarets .
One of the minarets collapsed during the 1948 floods
in the city. The remains of the erstwhile temple can be
seen in the foundation, the columns and at the rear
part of the mosque.

Gyanvapi, the original holy well between the temple and mosque
The photo is shown balow 2

This artical is originally appeared in wikipedia