News Brief
15 Shiv Lingas Among 55 Hindu Deity Sculptures Found Inside Gyanvapi Complex: ASI Scientific Survey Report
Gyanvapi premises.
In the Gyanvapi complex, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found 55 Hindu deity stone sculptures in its scientific study of the site.
These include 15 “Shiva linga”, three sculptures of “Vishnu”, three of “Ganesha”, two of “Nandi”, two of “Krishna”, and and five of “Hanuman”, according to the ASI report.
Tasked by the Varanasi district court to determine if the disputed mosque complex was “constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple”, the ASI has concluded that a temple “appears to have been destroyed in the 17th century, during the reign of Aurangzeb and part of it… modified and reused in the existing structure”.
This extensive four-volume ASI report was disclosed to the public on Thursday, following its distribution to both Hindu and Muslim parties involved in the legal proceedings.
According to the Volume 3 of the report, one “Makara” stone sculpture, one “Dwarpala”, one “Apasmara Purusha”, one “Votive shrine”, 14 “fragments”, and seven “miscellaneous” stone sculptures were also found during the ASI survey
In total, 259 stone objects were unearthed, including the 55 stone sculptures, 21 household materials, five “inscribed slabs” and 176 “architectural members”.
The survey also found 27 terracotta objects and 23 terracotta figurines, which include two deities, 18 human figures, and three animal figures.
Additionally, 113 metal objects and 93 coins were found, among them 40 coins from the East India Company, 21 Queen Victoria coins, and three Shah Alam Badshah-II coins.
All objects recovered during the survey were later handed over to the Varanasi district administration, which has stored them.
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