In a forthright appeal, Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, the treasurer of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, made a significant call to the Muslim community during an event in Pune. He requested the Muslim side to consider giving up the Gyanvapi and Mathura mosques to bring a peaceful end to ongoing disputes. He expressed that if these issues linked to the Gyanvapi and Krishna Janmabhoomi sites are settled harmoniously, Hindus would cease to pursue claims on other temples, signifying a collective step towards a tranquil future.
Maharaj, speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of his 75th birthday celebrations in Alandi, underscored the emotional impact of the historical destruction of temples in Ayodhya, Gyanvapi, and Mathura by foreign invaders, describing them as the gravest scars of those assaults. He advocated for a resolution that increases brotherhood and heals the collective pain of the Hindu community. The pressing claims by the Hindu side that the Gyanvapi and Mathura mosques stand on erstwhile grand Hindu temples amplified the plea for understanding and closure.
As the conversation around these sacred sites intensifies, there has been a legal shift as well. Recently, a Varanasi court granted permission for the resumption of puja in a cellar within the Gyanvapi mosque compound, which the Allahabad high court did not stay. Adjacent to the prominent religious landmarks—the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura—these mosques remain central to the dispute. Characterizing the court’s decision to allow Puja as the rectification of a past wrong, the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Acharya Satyendra Das, welcomed the verdict with gratitude.
Amidst these developments, Maharaj affirmed the Hindu community’s willingness to forego contention over the thousands of temples razed in historical foreign invasions, provided that peaceful resolution prevails over the temples in Kashi and Mathura. With a hopeful voice, he called upon the Muslim community to join in crafting a peaceful solution, emphasizing the issue is not a conflict between two communities but a matter of addressing past ordeals. His statements suggest ongoing dialogue, an era of resolution, and a commitment to ensure any stance taken will foster peace and not discord.