Fresh plea claims existence of Jain temple, gurukul at disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque site

On Friday, March 20, 2026, the Bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Rajesh Kumar Gupta in Indore heard the petition filed by Delhi-based activist Salek Chand Jain, who alleged the existence of a Jain temple and a gurukul beneath the existing structure. The petitioner also sought the rights of the Jain community to worship in the area, similar to the permissions granted to Hindus and Muslims.

The court gave two weeks to government officials to file objections after raising questions on the maintainability of the plea as a public interest litigation (PIL). The matter was postponed to April 2.

“Some objections have been raised by the learned counsel for the respondents regarding the maintainability of the present petition as a PIL. Likewise, time has been given to them to file their short answers/objections before the next date of hearing,” it said.

The fresh plea comes just days after the Division Bench of the Supreme Court, which is hearing the dispute between representatives of the Hindu and Muslim communities, said it would visit the disputed area before the next hearing. A team from the Indore High Court also visited the site on Thursday.

The next hearing of this case will also be held on April 2 and the court has asked all the parties to submit their final arguments or objections regarding the scientific research report submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

According to its approximately 2,200-page report, the ASI investigation, conducted on the instructions of the HC, says that the current structure was built on the ancient temple ruins, using the remaining parts, and that there are many Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions in the structure.

But Mr. Jain’s petition claims that the site is also an educational center associated with the Jain community. The petition also claims that the idol located in the Bhojshala area, which the Hindu community claims belongs to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), actually belongs to Jain goddess Ambika (a Jain yakshini), who was installed in the complex by King Bhoj of Dhar in 1034 AD.

The idol, which was captured by the British in 1875, is currently exhibited in a museum in London.

A local activist in Dhar, Dr. Deepak Nahar confirmed Mr. Jain’s claims about the idol but denied the existence of a Jain temple in the area.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said, “The idol is identified only in the British museum as the idol of Jain yakshini Ambika and is very different from a Saraswati idol. The Vagdevi idol was taken from Dhar to Vadodara centuries ago and it was later taken away by the British during the colonial period.”

While the petitioners of the Hindu Community expressed satisfaction with the ASI inquiry report and claimed that the structure was a Hindu temple, the Muslim side alleged that the ASI had ignored their earlier objections.

The site is an 11th-century monument protected by ASI. Under a 2003 agreement with the ASI, Hindus are allowed to perform puja at the complex every Tuesday, while Muslims offer prayers every Friday.