Mosques built after demolishing temples are a sign of slavery: Mahatma Gandhi in 1937
India Today
In a newspaper article in the year 1937, Mahatma Gandhi purportedly wrote that mosques built after demolition of temples are a "sign of slavery". This newspaper clipping has gone viral on social media in light of the ongoing mandir-masjid row.
Amid the ongoing mandir-masjid controversy across the country, a newspaper clipping from 1937, which purportedly shows that Mahatma Gandhi wrote that mosques built by demolishing temples were a sign of slavery, is being widely shared.
The newspaper clipping from July 27, 1937 from Navjeevan Patrika is going increasingly viral. In the article, Mahatma Gandhi has written a response to a letter from Shri Ram Gopal 'Sharad'.
His writing, translated from Hindi, is as follows:
Across the country, there is a debate over disputed places of worship. This controversy is epitomised by the Gyanvapi mosque court case which is currently underway.
A petition filed in 1991 in a Varanasi court claimed that the Gyanvapi Mosque was built on the orders of Aurangzeb by demolishing a part of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple during his reign in the 16th century.
The petitioners and local priests sought permission to worship in the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. The Allahabad High Court in 2019 ordered a stay on an ASI survey that was requested by the petitioners.
The current controversy started when five Hindu women sought to routinely worship Shringar Gauri and other idols within the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
