Vishnu Shankar Jain on Sambhal Jama Masjid Dispute, Places of Worship Act | ASI Kalki Harihar temple

The Sambhal court-mandated survey was the second following a petition filed on November 19, that claimed the Shahi Jama Masjid stood on the remains of an ancient Kalki temple

Historians like Meenakshi Jain and Sri Ram Sharma have documented the destruction of an ancient temple in Sambhal during Babur's reign (1526-1530).

Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, ordered the destruction of a temple in Sambhal, similar to his actions in Ayodhya, according to historian Meenakshi Jain.

"The second mosque that he (Babur) built in India, was at Sambhal. Babar ordered his general to destroy that temple, and a mosque was built on his orders," historian Meenakshi Jain said in an interview on a YouTube channel in 2023. "The inscription on the mosque clearly says that it was built on the orders of Babar and pieces of the temple was used in the construction of the mosque," Jain wrote in her book, The Battle for Rama -- Case of the Temple at Ayodhya.

"One of his (Babur's) officers, Hindu Beg, is said to have converted a Hindu temple at Sambhal into a mosque. His Sadr, Shaikh Zain, demolished many Hindu temples at Chanderi (MP) when he occupied it," historian Sri Ram Sharma wrote in his 1940 book, 'The Religious Policy of the Mughal Emperors'.

Vishnu Jain, the advocate of the Hindu side, citing Babur's autobiography Baburnama, has claimed that, "In 933 hijri, Babur transformed a Hindu temple into a mosque in Sambhal. It was done on Babur's orders and is commemorated in an inscription still existing on the mosque".

British archaeologist ACL Carlleyle, in an 1879 report published by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), observed that much of the mosque was created using rubble-masonry.

"The dome is built of brick, and it is said to have been rebuilt (as it now is) by the famous Prithvi Raja, who appears to have been a great benefactor to Sambhal," Carlleyle noted in 'Report Of Tours In The Central Doab And Gorakhpur In 1874-75 And 1875-76'.

"The walls of the central square Hindu temple would appear to have been built with large bricks cased with stone, but the plaster with which the Muhammadans have coated the walls conceals the material of which they are made; and I can only say that, on examining several spots where the plaster was broken, I found that in some places stone was exposed," he said in the report.

"I believe that the Muhammadans stripped off most of the stone, especially such as bore traces of Hinduism, and made a pavement of the stones, turning the sculptures downwards," Carlleyle added

Carlyle also noted the prevalence of doubts about the authenticity of the Babur inscription, which is often cited as evidence that the mosque was commissioned by him.

"Musalmans of Sambhal confessed to me that the inscription containing Babar’s name was a forgery, and that the Muhammadans did not get possession of the building until about the time of the mutiny [the revolt of 1857], or a little before it, say about 25 years ago," Carlyle wrote in Report Of Tours In The Central Doab And Gorakhpur In 1874-75 And 1875-76.

However, in the same report, a note by Alexander Cunningham, the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, settles the debate.

"The inscription on the masjid which the Hindus denounce as being forged appears to me to be quite genuine... The full date is given in a very ingenious manner with the last word...," said Alexander Cunningham.

The 1879 ASI report also highlighted that while the front of the slab bears Babur’s inscription, local Hindus in Sambhal claimed the back of the slab holds the original Hindu inscription from the temple

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