Gyanvapi Case: ASI Survey Concluded Large Hindu Temple Existed Prior To Construction Of Existing Structure, Says Vishnu Jain

The lawyer for the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case on Thursday (25 January) claimed that the ASI survey report has found that a large Hindu temple existed at the Gyanvapi site before the construction of the existing structure.

This comes after the petitioners in the Gyanvapi case today received hard copy of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report, a day after Varanasi court order.

Vishnu Jain, the lawyer for the petitioners, read the report's briefings in a press conference and said the report found a "pre-existing structure and the ASI found a well next to the corridor," adding that the "Central chamber and the main entrance has a pre-existing structure".

"The ASI has said that there existed a large Hindu Temple prior to the construction of the existing structure. This is the conclusive finding of the ASI...," Jain said.

Jain, while reading out the ASI report, said, "34 inscriptions of Hindu temple were found and the inscriptions are in Devnagri, Granth, Telugu and Kannada. Names of deities Janaradana, Rudra and Umeshwara are found in inscriptions", NDTV reported.

"The reuse of earlier inscriptions in the structure suggests that the earlier structures were destroyed and their parts were reused in the construction repair of the existing structure," he said citing the ASI report.