Devotees gathered in large numbers at the Bhojshala complex in Dhar to offer prayers to Goddess Saraswati after the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling changed the legal and administrative position around worship at the contested monument.
The prayers, held under tightened security arrangements, marked the first major public mobilisation at the site after the Indore bench of the High Court declared the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi, or Saraswati. Police and local authorities regulated entry, movement and crowd control as devotees arrived from Dhar and nearby areas.
The court’s order set aside the 2003 arrangement of the Archaeological Survey of India that had allowed Hindus to worship at the protected monument on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer Friday prayers. Following the ruling, the ASI allowed unrestricted access for Hindu worship at the complex, bringing a long-running legal and religious dispute back to the centre of public attention.
Many devotees wore saffron and yellow as prayers, chants and rituals were performed inside the stone-pillared structure. A symbolic image of Vagdevi was used during worship, as the original idol associated with the site is held at the British Museum in London. Devotees recited Saraswati Vandana and other hymns, while local religious groups described the event as the outcome of a prolonged campaign over worship rights.
Security personnel were deployed in and around the complex, with barricades and controlled pathways used to manage movement. Officials sought to prevent overcrowding and maintain order at a site that has often required careful handling because of its contested history. No major disruption was reported during the prayers.
The High Court ruling has drawn sharply different responses. Hindu organisations welcomed the judgment as recognition of the site’s religious character and historical association with Saraswati worship and Sanskrit learning. Representatives of Muslim groups rejected the verdict and indicated that they would challenge it before the Supreme Court. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has also extended support to the Kamal Maula Mosque side in pursuing legal remedies.
The Bhojshala complex, located in Dhar district, has long been claimed by Hindus as a temple and centre of learning linked to Raja Bhoj, the Paramara ruler associated with scholarship and patronage of Sanskrit learning. Muslim groups have maintained that the site includes the Kamal Maula mosque and had relied on the earlier ASI arrangement that permitted Friday prayers.
The latest legal shift follows years of litigation and a court-directed archaeological survey. The High Court relied on historical, archaeological and literary material while holding that the religious character of the disputed area was that of Bhojshala with a temple of Goddess Saraswati. It also noted that the structure remains a protected monument under the relevant law, placing its management within the framework of central protection.
The judgment has also revived demands for the return of the Vagdevi idol from the British Museum and for the reinstatement of sculptures and artefacts linked to the site. Hindu petitioners and campaign groups have urged central and state authorities to take steps on those issues, arguing that the restoration of worship should be accompanied by cultural restitution.
Opponents of the verdict have argued that the ruling may unsettle the delicate administrative balance that had governed the site for more than two decades. They contend that the dispute should be examined in the light of constitutional protections, heritage law and the broader legal framework governing places of worship. Their planned appeal is expected to keep the matter active before higher courts.
