New Delhi/Dhar, May 28 (IANS) The centuries-old Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar is fast emerging as the centrepiece of a larger cultural and political campaign, with both the Centre and the state government moving in tandem to seek the return of the revered Vagdevi idol from London and transform the historic site into a major cultural landmark.

The latest momentum came on Wednesday when Dhar-Mhow MP and Union Minister of State Savitri Thakur met Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi and formally urged the Centre to facilitate the return of the idol of Goddess Vagdevi, currently housed in a museum in London, for reinstallation at Bhojshala.

The meeting marks a fresh phase in the decades-long dispute surrounding Bhojshala — a site revered by Hindus as a temple of Goddess Saraswati and used by Muslims as the Kamal Maula Mosque under a shared-access arrangement enforced since 2003.

During the meeting, Shekhawat said he would travel to Dhar in June to review proposals aimed at developing the site into a major religious and cultural tourism hub.

Earlier on Monday (May 25), Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited Bhojshala and, after offering prayers at the site, announced two ambitious projects — a grand ‘Saraswati Lok’ temple corridor and a Raja Bhoj Research Institute in Dhar.

The renewed political focus follows the May 15 order of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which recognised Bhojshala as a temple dedicated to Vagdevi, or Goddess Saraswati.

The ruling altered the long-standing administrative framework around the disputed complex and triggered a series of swift developments.

Soon after the verdict, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) revised its 2003 arrangement and allowed Hindus to offer prayers daily at the temple premises.

Under its 2003 order, the ASI had allowed Hindus to worship at the temple every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz at the mosque within the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex every Friday, amid competing claims over the site by both communities.

The Muslim community, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the High Court verdict and filed petitions before the Supreme Court challenging the order.

Meanwhile, the Bhojshala premises remained under tight security by the local police to prevent any possible tension between members of the two communities.

–IANS

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