MNS leader raises issue of two 13th-century dargahs ‘built on temple land’

MNS general secretary Ajay Shinde says a commander of Alauddin Khilji had demolished the Punyeshwar and Narayaneshwar temples in Pune and later dargahs were built on the land.

The authorities have to take action as per the available ASI reports but have failed to do so.

Citing the Gyanvapi mosque controversy, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader said on Monday that he had for the past four years been raising “similar issues” related to two 13th-century dargahs that he alleged were built on the land of Pune’s Punyeshwar temple.

Speaking at Raj Thackeray’s rally on May 22, MNS general secretary Ajay Shinde said the party had launched a “Punyeshwar Mukti” (free the temple land) campaign, appealing for people’s support to “restore” the land.

Asked about his claim, Shinde told The Indian Express that the dargah-temple row in Pune was not a new one. “I have been personally taking up the issue with the Pune Municipal Corporation and local unit of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the last four years,” the MNS leader said.

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Shinde claimed that a commander of Alauddin Khilji had demolished the Punyeshwar and Narayaneshwar temples and later dargahs were built on the land. He said there was an ASI report that showed evidence of a temple at the dargah site.

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“The issue is old and has already been taken up in court. The court had given a stay on additional construction in the area but unfortunately it has been carried out during the pandemic,” he said.

The authorities have to take action as per the available ASI reports but have failed to do so, the MNS leader said. “We now want action against those who have carried out new construction despite the stay by the court. The fight for claiming land for the temple will continue,” he said.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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