Swift meets, discreet preparations: How puja at Gyanvapi cellar was done

Officials then started the preparations for the puja. So low-key was the entire process that people in the locality, while aware of the presence of officials, remained unaware of what they were doing.

“We could understand something is going on, but could never have guessed the court order was being implemented in such a hurry. Our shops were open throughout the night on January 31,” said Vinod Mishra, a shop owner in the area.

In the order, District Judge A K Vishvesha had said, “District Magistrate, Varanasi/Receiver is being directed to get puja and raag bhog done by a priest, designated by the plaintiff and Kashi Vishwanath Trust, of idols in the cellar to the south, which is disputed, of building situated on settlement plot number 9130, police station Chowk, District Varanasi. For this, suitable arrangements must be made with iron barricading and other things within seven days.”

While journalists were denied entry while preparations were underway, it was only when the District Magistrate and Varanasi Police Commissioner emerged from the spot, around 2 am on Thursday, that the media came to know the puja had been conducted. “The court order has been complied with,” is all the DM told the media at the time.

A priest performs prayers in the basement of Gyanvapi mosque following court orders allowing the resumption of the practice that was discontinued three decades back, in Varanasi. (PTI)

Explaining the preparations, a senior official said, “The directives in the order were connected with idols, puja, and suitable arrangements for iron barricading. The court had also asked for raj bhog (meal for the deity) for the idols. For this, we brought the idols from the south cellar that were kept in the treasury… and the raj bhog had to be given immediately, so we did that.”

After prayers were completed, all of Uttar Pradesh was put under alert, and district police officers and administrative officials were directed to regularly monitor the situation.

Speaking to The Indian Express, government officials and members of the Kashi Vishwanath Trust put together the sequence of events. Immediately after the court passed the order, district government counsel Sanjay Gaur dispatched copies of the order to senior government officials.

Simultaneously, petitioner Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas communicated with officials, filing an application with the DM to implement the court order. In another application, the petitioner requested raj bhog for the deity and expressed no objection to the priest named by the Kashi Vishwanath Trust.

Subsequently, DM Rajalingam convened a meeting with officials, followed by an inspection of the site by him and senior officials, including Varanasi Police Commissioner Mutha Ashok Jain, and Additional Commissioner of Police Shivasimpi Channappa. Then, another meeting was held at the site.

After taking stock of the situation, the DM issued a written order to Additional District Magistrate (protocol) Shri Prakash to implement the court order. The Chief Executive Officer (Sunil Verma) of the Kashi Vishwanath Trust was instructed to assist him.

ADM (protocol) was also directed to retrieve the idols, which were discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the southern cellar and were then stored at the treasury. “ADM (protocol) was also directed to take reference of the ASI report, submitted to the court, for identifying idols found in the southern cellar. Petitioner Shailendra Kumar Pathak had also highlighted the idols kept in the southern cellar in his petition,” an official said.

Directions were also sent to the treasury officer to hand over the idols to the ADM. Around 8.30 pm on January 31, the ADM rushed to retrieve the idols and Trust members were summoned to the site.

Trust members and other authorities were then instructed to facilitate the cutting of iron barricading to create an entrance gate for the southern cellar. A gas cutter was brought in, the gate was crafted, after which lighting was arranged inside the cellar. The Trust and others also organised the cleaning of the cellar – a process that took approximately half an hour. By 11 pm, the idols were brought from the treasury. Priest Om Prakash Mishra was assigned by the trust to perform the puja, and religious scholar Vireshwar Shastri Dravid was summoned to provide guidance to the priest.

Five other priests were called to “purify” the south cellar and the idols that were stored in the treasury. Following cleansing rituals, the idols were brought inside the cellar. Then, Om Prakash Mishra was left to perform the puja alone, while other priests and government officials left the cellar.

The ritual concluded around 1.30 am. “Neither (petitioner) Shailendra Kumar Pathak, nor members of his family, were called to the spot when the puja was being conducted,” an official said.

According to another official, prayers have since been conducted five times a day in adherence to directives. This schedule mirrors the routine followed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Only one priest has been granted permission to perform rituals inside the cellar at a time, while access for the public has been restricted until further notice.

“Six priests have been assigned to conduct the rituals, with their shifts changing every four hours,” the official said.

Officials also highlighted an urgent need for repairs in the inner part of the southern cellar, citing significant damage and excessive dampness in the building. They also pointed out that the ceiling wall above the idol has sustained considerable damage. “We will get the repairs done inside the cellar after obtaining permission from the court,” an official said.