Varanasi (UP): Carbon dating of “Shivling” allegedly found on the premises of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi cannot be done, said the Varanasi district court on Friday. Therefore, the court rejected a petition of Hindu devotees, demanding carbon dating of the object which the petitioners claimed was a “Shivling.”
The court said that the plea for “scientific investigation” cannot be permitted, as the Supreme Court has ordered the sealing of the place where the object claimed to be a “Shivling” was found, sources said. Out of five Hindu petitioners, four sought carbon dating of the object, but the court said that it is scientific process used in archaeology to understand the age of an object. The fifth Hindu petitioner did not seek carbon dating of the object, fearing that the object may get damaged in the process.
Opposing the plea for carbon dating of the object, the Muslim petitioners in the case sought a ruling from the court. Five Hindu women had filed a petition demanding rights for daily worship of the idols on the outer walls of the Gyanvapi mosque. The case was initially heard in a court in Varanasi which ordered a videography survey of the mosque compound. After that, the case was shifted to the Varanasi district court. The “Shigling” was found near a small reservoir “Wazookhazna” that the Muslims use to perform ritual ablutions before offering namaz.
