A formal worship ceremony was held at the Bhoshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Sunday, marking the first-ever enthronement of Goddess Saraswati in the precincts of the sanctum sanctorum. While the Bhojshala Utsav Samiti and Bhojshala Mukti Yagna Samiti, the organizations that have been conducting prayers at Bhojshala since 2003, have put up a poster outside the temple prohibiting entry of non-Hindus.
“Entry of non-Hindus is prohibited at Bhojshala due to security reasons. Entry will be allowed only to those who arrive wearing a tilak and wrapped in a saffron dupatta,” said Gopal Sharma, member of Bhojshala Utsav Samity.
An eternal flame from a temple located outside the complex was ceremonially installed in the sanctum sanctorum. “At sunrise, members of the Bhuj Utsav Samiti and the Hindu community offered prayers to Goddess Vagdevi, followed by a special prayer at 11.45 am. A large number of devotees gathered in the complex. “The committee started disinfecting the building using gangajal (holy water from the Ganges) and cow urine,” Sharma said.
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Led by Union Minister Savitri Thakur, the saffron flag was also hoisted on Sunday as per the newly implemented guidelines issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) after the Madhya Pradesh Indore High Court bench fixed the religious character of the Bhoshala complex.
CM Yadav says the government is committed to restoring the “former glory” of Bhojshala
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the BJP-led state government was committed to returning Bhoshala to its “former glory”. “It will be developed to enable devotees from across the state and nation to seek blessings of Goddess Vagdevi,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Digvijaya Singh responded to the court order. “The Supreme Court order was ambiguous. The memorial is protected under ASI and legally there is no provision allowing the practice of worship.”
Earlier, on the basis of the ASI survey report, the court had fixed the religious character of the complex as Vagdevi (Saraswati) temple.
Following the court order, the ASI, in its order issued on Saturday, said: “The Supreme Court set aside the restrictions earlier imposed by the Director General of ASI which limited Hindu worship rights within the complex while allowing Muslim prayers… The Hindu community shall have unrestricted access to the Bhoshala complex.”
