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Dhar: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday, January 23, declared its resolve to build a grand temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) at the contested Bhojshala complex in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh by 2034 after completing due legal process.

The proposed shrine at Bhojshala will be on the lines of the grand Ram Temple constructed at the deity’s birthplace at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and will house the consecrated idol of Goddess Vagdevi which is currently in a London museum, said VHP International President Alok Kumar.

Hindus consider Bhojshala to be a temple of Goddess Vagdevi, while the Muslim community calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and a case regarding the site is pending in court.

Addressing a large gathering before taking the darshan of Goddess Vagdevi at Bhojshala on the occasion of Basant Panchami, the VHP leader said the already consecrated idol of the deity for the site is currently in a museum in London and it needs to be brought back.

“We have to bring this idol back to India. We have to win the pending court case and restore the temple’s appearance to the dignity of Goddess Saraswati,” Kumar asserted.

The VHP leader claimed that the Goddess Vagdevi’s temple at Bhojshala was built in 1034. Therefore, 992 years have passed since its construction and the consecration of the idol of Goddess Vagdevi will complete 1,000 years in 2034, he said.

“Can you and I resolve that we will complete the court process, bring back the idol of Goddess Vagdevi from there (London), and consecrate the idol here (Bhojshala) again in 2034 with the same grandeur as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” Kumar told the gathering.

The VHP functionary claimed that along with the temple at Bhojshala, there was also a gurukul (traditional Indian residential system of learning), where a large number of students studied the Vedas, Puranas, and other ancient scriptures.

“Therefore, if the temple is rebuilt here (Bhojshala), then Dhar, located in the heart of the country, will become a city of learning and knowledge,” he noted.

Saints and sages assembled at the gathering called the disputed complex a religious place for Hindus and urged the government to bring back the idol of Goddess Vagdevi from the London Museum and install it at the complex.

They also demanded that a ‘Vagdevi Corridor’ be built in Dhar on the lines of the ‘Shri Mahakal Lok Corridor’ in Ujjain.