Another historic Indian mosque faces claims of idols underneath

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Another centuries-old mosque in India has come under the spotlight after a Hindu group claimed ancient idols lie within Gujarat’s historic Jama Masjid, allegations many Muslims see as part of a recurring Hindutva playbook used to pave the way for the takeover of historic mosques. 

The latest dispute centers on the nearly 700-year-old Jama Masjid in Bharuch, an Archaeological Survey of India-protected monument where Muslims have offered prayers for generations.

A little-known organization called the Shri Chakradhar Swami Janmasthal National Heritage Protection Committee has claimed that relics and idols of religious significance are present within the mosque complex and require immediate preservation.

The allegations have prompted local authorities to tighten security around the mosque and other sensitive areas of Bharuch amid concerns that the issue could inflame communal tensions.

For Muslims in India, however, the controversy extends far beyond questions of archaeology or heritage preservation. They view such allegations as part of a recurring Hindutva playbook in which claims of hidden temples, idols or relics inside mosques are used to lay the groundwork for campaigns seeking to destroy or seize the Islamic places of worship. 

The most prominent example remains the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, where assertions that the mosque stood on the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram evolved over decades into a mass political movement.

The 16th-century mosque was demolished by Hindu extremist mobs in 1992 before India’s Supreme Court eventually handed the mosque site to Hindu litigants in 2019.

Muslim groups argue that Babri was not an isolated episode. They point to more recent disputes involving the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura, as well as the Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, where Muslims lost  prayer rights after the site was judicially recognized as a temple.

For many, these cases reinforce fears that claims involving idols, relics or disputed histories can ultimately reshape the fate of centuries-old mosques and the communities that worship in them. 

The organization behind the Bharuch campaign claims it possesses a video allegedly recorded in the presence of Archaeological Survey of India officials showing damaged idols and artefacts in a lower section of the monument.

Swami Mukteshwaranand, who is leading the campaign, said the group’s demand was limited to preserving historically significant relics and insisted it did not object to prayers continuing at the mosque.

“We are not opposing religious practices at the mosque. We are only seeking protection of historically significant relics and artefacts,” he said.

The Jama Masjid Trust has strongly disputed the circumstances surrounding the alleged recording. Trustee Abdul Kamthi questioned how access to restricted sections of the ASI-protected monument had been obtained and said mosque representatives were unaware of any permission being granted for filming in those areas.

He also stressed that the mosque has served as a place of worship for nearly seven centuries and has long been visited by people from different communities.

“This mosque has existed peacefully for hundreds of years,” Kamthi said. “We are concerned that some groups may be trying to create unnecessary controversy and disturb communal harmony.”

The mosque trust has sought additional security from local authorities and the Archaeological Survey of India.