Dhar, May 25 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, on Monday visited the historic Bhojshala in Dhar district and offered special prayers to Goddess Vagdevi on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra.

The visit was significant as it was Yadav’s first trip to Bhojshala after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, in its May 15 order, declared the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex a Hindu temple.

The court had observed that the site was originally dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and historically functioned as a centre of Sanskrit learning.

After offering prayers, the Chief Minister said the state government would focus on developing Dhar as a major tourism and cultural destination.

“After the honourable court’s decision, I have come here today for darshan and puja. Dhar will also receive benefits from several development initiatives under our Jal Ganga Conservation Campaign and other projects,” CM Yadav said.

He said the government was preparing plans to boost tourism, improve infrastructure and create employment opportunities in the region.

“We hope Dhar will be recognised in a new form. We will undertake several development works, including boosting tourism, generating employment opportunities and expanding educational institutions and opportunities,” he said.

Yadav also linked the development plans with the state government’s water conservation efforts being carried out under the Jal Ganga Conservation Campaign.

“Across the country, Madhya Pradesh is playing a leading role in water conservation. Through public participation, work is being carried out in every district,” he added.

A large number of BJP workers, local residents and devotees gathered near the Bhojshala complex during the Chief Minister’s visit.

Security arrangements were tightened in and around the premises, with senior police and administrative officials deployed at the site.

The Bhojshala complex in Dhar has long been at the centre of a sensitive dispute. Hindus regard it as an ancient centre of Sanskrit learning established during the reign of Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty in the 11th century, housing a temple of Vagdevi or Saraswati. Muslims have traditionally referred to part of the site as the Kamal Maula Mosque and had been offering namaz there on Fridays for decades under a previous arrangement.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench delivered its verdict on May 15, declaring the religious character of the disputed area as that of a Hindu temple. The court quashed the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India order that had allowed restricted access for both communities and directed authorities to facilitate full worship rights for Hindus while suggesting alternative land for a mosque.

In response to the judgment, the Muslim community has approached the Supreme Court by filing a special leave petition. Petitioners described the High Court order as one-sided and maintained that ‘namaz’ had been offered at the site continuously for the last 700 years.

–IANS

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