UP: Amid tight security devotees allowed to enter cellar to worship Mata Shringar Gauri

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 12 (ANI): Amid high security, petitioner women along with other devotees were allowed to enter the cellar to worship Mata Shringar Gauri on the Chaturthi of Basantik Navratri, in Varanasi on Friday.
A meeting on the darshan and worship of Mata Shringar Gauri was held on Thursday. At the meeting, it was agreed to take out a darshan-worship yatra of Shringar Gauri from Gorakshanath Math in Maidagin.
Speaking to ANI, Sita Sahu, one of the petitioners said, "Today, we will pray that the way we worship 'Ma Shringar Gauri', we can worship lord Vishweshwar as well because worship of Shiv and Shakti is compulsory. Today, there is hearing about the cellar, we are confident since the proofs are in our favour, there has been a delay but we have faith that a resolution will be reached soon."

Visuals show the women entering the cellar with 'Puja Thali', a plate for presenting offerings at the premises of the cellar.

Meanwhile, a grand 'Kalash Yatra' was also taken out by the devotees in the city.

Uttar Pradesh advocate representing Hindu petitioners in the Shringar Gauri case, Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi said, "Be it ASI or advocate commission survey, report of each have been submitted in the court. The case is under hearing, we have the demand for a survey of other cellars as well which are closed as of now. Today is the date of the hearing, let's see what will be the view of the court."

The 'Shringar Gauri Puja Yatra' is undertaken once a year to worship Shringar Gauri which is allowed on the Chaturthi (fourth day) of Basantik Navratri.
The case of Gyanvapi mosque has been in court since 1991, when three persons, including a descendant of the priests of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, filed a suit in the court of the civil judge of Varanasi claiming that Aurangzeb had demolished the temple of Lord Vishweshwar and built a mosque on it so that the land should be returned to them.
On August 18, 2021, in the same court in Varanasi, five women filed a petition demanding to worship in the temple of Mata Shringar Gauri, accepting that the court constituted a commission to know the present status of the Shringar Gauri. Varanasi court had asked the Commission to give the survey report by videographing the idol of Shringar Gauri and the Gyanvapi complex.
The Hindu side has presented a comprehensive map of the Gyanvapi complex as evidence in court. This map identifies Hindu deity temples located around the mosque entrance, along with landmarks such as the Vishweshwar temple, Gyankoop (Mukti Mandap), the prominent Nandi statue, and the Vyas family basement.
The Muslim side argued that no decision can be given on the dispute under the Places of Worship Act of 1991. Under Section 3 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, it is prohibited to convert a place of worship into a place of worship of a different religious denomination or a different class of the same religious denomination.
A case is pending in the court regarding the regular darshan of Goddess Shringar Gauri at Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gyanvapi complex. Taking ahead the Shringaar Gauri case, the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex has been completed.
However, no verdict has been given by the court regarding the regular darshan of Shringar Gauri. (ANI)