Muslim worshippers offered Friday namaz at the Bhojshala–Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar hours before a decisive Madhya Pradesh High Court ruling altered the legal status of one of the state’s most sensitive religious disputes. The Indore bench declared the protected monument a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati and set aside the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India order that had allowed Muslims to offer prayers there on Fridays.
The ruling marks a sharp turn in a dispute that has long centred on competing claims over the 11th-century structure. Hindu petitioners argued that Bhojshala was a centre of Sanskrit learning and worship built under the Parmar-era legacy of Raja Bhoj, while the Muslim side maintained that the complex had functioned as the Kamal Maula Mosque, with Friday prayers permitted under administrative arrangements for decades. A Jain petitioner had also advanced a separate claim linking the monument to a medieval Jain religious and educational institution.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi delivered the judgment after extended daily hearings that began on April 6 and concluded on May 12, when the court reserved its order. The case involved arguments on the legal effect of earlier administrative notifications, the status of the monument as a protected site, and the evidentiary value of a scientific survey submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The court’s decision quashed the 2003 access arrangement that had allowed Hindus to worship on Tuesdays and Muslims to offer namaz on Fridays. The bench held that the religious character of the site was that of a temple and indicated that members of the Muslim community could seek alternative land for a mosque through the appropriate authorities. The Archaeological Survey of India was directed to continue overseeing the monument’s administration, conservation and protection.
Security was strengthened across Dhar before and after the verdict, reflecting the sensitivity surrounding the site. Officials kept watch on movement around the complex, and police deployment was increased to prevent any breach of order as groups gathered near the monument. Celebrations by sections of the Hindu community followed the judgment, while Muslim representatives signalled that the legal battle was not over.
The Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society, associated with the mosque side, said it would challenge the order before the Supreme Court. Its president, Abdul Samad, indicated that the society disagreed with the High Court’s findings and would seek further judicial review. That response keeps the dispute alive despite the High Court’s sweeping declaration on the character of the complex.
The scientific survey became central to the proceedings. The Archaeological Survey of India carried out a 98-day examination of the site in 2024 and submitted a report running to more than 2,000 pages. The report said the present structure incorporated architectural remains and material associated with earlier temples, while the Muslim side questioned the neutrality and conclusions of the exercise.
The case gained further momentum after the Supreme Court, in January 2026, dealt with proceedings linked to the survey report and directed that it be made available for consideration by the High Court. That step cleared the way for detailed arguments on the report’s findings and the legal character of the structure.
Bhojshala has for years carried a dual identity in public discourse. Hindu organisations have described it as a shrine to Saraswati and a symbol of the intellectual tradition associated with Raja Bhoj. Muslim groups have pointed to the use of the site as Kamal Maula Mosque and the continuity of Friday prayers under earlier administrative permissions. The 2003 order attempted to manage those competing claims through a shared-use arrangement, but that framework has now been invalidated.
