AGRA: In an ongoing Agra court case, a Hindu petitioner submitted an application requesting a technical survey of the Chhoti Masjid (also known as Jahanara Begum Masjid), situated near Diwan-e-Khas on the premises of Agra Fort, by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The purpose is to locate buried idols of Lord Krishna. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb transported these idols to Agra after reportedly destroying the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura in 1670, said the petitioner.
Agra Fort, a Unesco World Heritage site, was constructed in 1565 and is under ASI’s protection. The application stems from a petition filed by the Shree Krishna Janam Bhumi Sanrakshit Trust, led by Vrindavan-based katha vachak (narrator of religious stories), Devkinandan Thakur, in May. The petition was submitted to the civil court, seeking permission to excavate the "jewel-studded idols" of Lord Krishna from Mathura's Keshav Dev temple believed to be buried beneath the staircase of the Agra mosque, also known as Shahi Masjid.
"The court has fixed August 25, 2023, as the next date of hearing in the case that was filed earlier for mandatory injunction and permanent prohibitory injunction against the defendants for bringing out the ‘Vigrah’ (idols) of Lord Keshav Dev buried in the stairs of the mosque," said Vinod Shukla, lawyer of the petitioner.
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