Darkness, heat and monkeys, the ASI team weathered it all

Varanasi: The nine-member team of Archeological Survey of India (ASI) experts faced many challenges while carrying out scientific study and survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex, says the 839-page report shared by plaintiff Rakhi Singh's lawyer Saurabh Tiwari.The report says that the dark and suffocating ‘cellars’ (basement) of the complex, extreme hot weather followed by humid monsoon and also monkeys kept the ASI experts poses extreme challenges to team from July 24, 2023 -- when survey first started -- till Nov 2, 2023, when it finished. Titled as 'Scientific Investigation/ Survey at settlement Plot no. 9130 district Varanasi’ the ASI survey report on Gyanvapi mosque contains the names of expert archaeologists who carried out this study under Prof Alok Tripathi. Tripathi finalised this study and report with the contribution of Dr Goutami Bhattacharya, Dr Shubha Majumder, Dr Raj Kumar Patel, Dr Abinash Mohanty, Dr Izhar Alam Hashmi, Dr Aftab Hussain, Dr Niraj Kumar Mishra and Dr Vinay Kumar Roy.Handed over to both the parties on Wednesday night on the order of the district judge AK Vishvesha, the report has mentioned the problems and challenges faced by the survey team in carrying out the scientific investigation under the section titled `Constraint’ in the first volume of the report. In view of the high court's directive for only surface study without use of excavation slowed down the pace of study as the entire area was obscured by accumulation of large quantities of debris. It was a big hindrance in scientific investigation to get meaningful results, the report says. The ASI had to demonstrate methods of garbage and debris removal to make consensus among both the parties -- the women plaintiffs and defendants Anjuman Intezamia Masajid.The team worked in difficult weather conditions from blazing sun with soaring temperatures to high humidity in the monsoon season. The cellar below the open platform had their own localised weather conditions. The south and north cellars had only a single entrance each while no electricity connection or light arrangement was available in them, the report mentions. South cellar was filled with discarded material due to which stepping on to the surface was a difficult task. For the first few days, the team worked in the cellars with torch light and reflectors to illuminate the interior. The humidity within the cellars was much higher than outside. The lack of air circulation within was another issue. Since the north cellar was under lock, the level of humidity was comparatively higher than the south. The ASI had to arrange bulbs, exhaust and pedestal fans to make things bearable. With the onset of monsoon, preventing accumulation of rain water and the flow of muddy slush was a significant issue.