‘Lord Shiva Doesn’t Need a Structure’: Kangana Ranaut on Gyanvapi Mosque Row

Kangana Ranaut visited the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi with the 'Dhaakad' team.

Kangana Ranaut reacts to claims of a 'shivling' being found in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Actor Kangana Ranaut offered prayers at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi with the cast of her film Dhaakad. During a media interaction, Kangana talked about the Gyanvapi mosque row and said, “There's Lord Krishna in every particle of Mathura & Lord Ram in every particle of Ayodhya. Similarly, there's Lord Shiva in every particle of Kashi. He doesn't need a structure, he resides in every particle.”

Kangana plays the role of Agent Agni in Dhaakad directed by Razneesh Ghai. The film also stars Arjun Rampal and Divya Dutta, and is scheduled to release on 20 May.

Kangana shared pictures from Varanasi with the team of Dhaakad and wrote, "Har har Mahadev …. Kashi Vishvanath ji ke darshan aur Ganga ji ki aarti with team Dhaakad… releasing on 20th May …"

What is the Case?

The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and it’s believed that the former was built in the 17th century after an existing Vishweshwar temple was demolished. Some believe that the original lingam of the temple was hidden in the adjoining Gyanvapi well during a raid by Aurangzeb.

The Varanasi court had allowed for survey work of the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque complex after five women affiliated to the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh filed petitions saying that they’re entitled to perform rituals at the site of “visible and invisible deities within the old temple complex”.

After the videography survey, the petitioners’ counsel claimed that a shivling was found after water was drained from a pond in a complex. The Varanasi district court then ordered the district magistrate to seal the area where the shivling was allegedly uncovered. The mosque management committee member said that the object found was part of the fountain mechanism at the wazookhana.

The member added that mosque management wasn’t given a chance to present their side before the court issued the order to seal the area. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court passed an interim order that said that Muslims shouldn’t be restricted from entering and praying in the mosque.