‘It was a need of the hour to bring back the idol of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) from a London museum, as it is "more important than the Kohinoor"’. This is the statement of the Hindu petitioners, which came on Tuesday, days after winning the Bhojshala case in the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
MP HC Friday’s ruling stated that the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while simultaneously quashing a decades-old ASI order that allowed the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers at the site. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Saturday granted the Hindus unrestricted access to the monument. A replica of the idol was then installed to offer prayers post HC’s ruling. Now, the petitioners from the Hindu side, who won the case, are pressing for the return of the original idol kept at the British Museum in London and its reinstallation at Bhojshala.
In its May 15 order, the HC observed that the Government of India "may consider" representations seeking the return of the idol of Goddess Saraswati from London and its re-establishment within the Bhojshala complex.
One of the petitioners, Kuldeep Tiwari, informed that fresh representations had been submitted to the Centre, the ASI, and the Madhya Pradesh government seeking the return of the idol from London, claiming that the idol was taken by the Britishers during the colonial period.
"Like the Kohinoor, the issue of return of the Vagdevi idol is now gaining momentum. But for us, this idol is more important than the Kohinoor because it is linked to our faith and cultural heritage," Tiwari said. He added that bringing back the idol from Britain would not be difficult if the Centre shows "political will" and pursues diplomatic efforts, especially after the high court declared Bhojshala a Vagdevi temple.
"Indian idols and historical artefacts have been brought back earlier from several countries," he pointed out.
Another petitioner and state vice-president of Hindu Front for Justice, Ashish Goyal, further demanded that 94 idols found during the ASI survey of the Bhojshala complex in 2024 should also be respectfully reinstalled at the site. He also urged that idols of Kubera, Ardhanarishwar, and other deities, presently kept in Mandu and Dhar fort museums, be reinstalled at Bhojshala.
The Hindu petitioners had argued before the HC that Bhojshala was originally a Saraswati temple established in 1034 by Parmar king Bhoj and was demolished during Alauddin Khilji's invasion of the Malwa region in 1305. They also claimed that remains of the temple were reused for the construction of a mosque at the disputed site.
The demand for the return of the idol from the British Museum has been raised repeatedly over the years by Hindu groups, and governments had earlier assured action on the issue. The idol has also been claimed by members of the Jain community.
Delhi-based social activist Salekchand Jain had filed a public interest litigation in the high court, claiming Bhojshala was originally a medieval Jain temple and gurukul. The idol kept in the British Museum was actually of Jain Yakshini Ambika and not Goddess Vagdevi, he further claimed. The high court, however, dismissed that petition.
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