Gyanvapi case: Do all mosques have fountains in wazukhanas? | Ground Report
India Today
Amid the Gyanvapi mosque row, India Today's reporters visited mosques across the country to see how wazukhanas function and whether they all have fountains.
The dispute over the Gyanvapi masjid-Shringar Gauri complex in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi took a new turn when the Hindu side claimed a few days ago that a 'shivling' had been found in the wazukhana area of the mosque complex.
This claim was countered with the suggestion that the structure that was found was actually a defunct fountain in the wazukhana, and not a 'shivling'. Speaking on the issue, Lok Sabha MP Owaisi added that every masjid has such fountains.
India Today's reporters visited mosques across the country to see how many wazukhanas have fountains. Here's what we found:
A wazukhana is an ablution pond where worshippers wash themselves before praying at the mosque. Wazukhanas in historical mosques date back to the time when there were no proper water pipelines.
Hence, the wazukhanas were established as ponds with fountains to provide sufficient water for the purpose of washing. A number of people could make use of the pond simultaneously without wastage of water.
The ancient Jamia Mosque in Srinagar was built by King Sikander Shah Kashmiri in 1394 AD. It has a pond with a fountain in the middle which is used for ablution purpose.
The fountain is functional till date.
