MP High Court Declares Bhojshala Saraswati Temple

A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Indore ruled on May 15, 2026, that the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati, quashing a 2003 Archaeological Survey of India order that had allowed Muslims to offer Friday prayers at the site.

The bench, comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, declared the religious character of the protected monument as that of a Bhojshala temple from the Paramara period, based on an extensive ASI survey report. The court held that archaeological evidence, including sculptural fragments, inscriptions, and temple-style remains, indicated a pre-existing Hindu religious and educational structure. The 2,000-page report, spanning 10 volumes and detailing 1,710 artifacts such as broken idols, coins, and symbols, followed a 98-day court-ordered survey conducted from March 22 to July 15, 2024.

The ruling ends the longstanding arrangement under which Hindus conducted worship every Tuesday from sunrise to sunset, while Muslims offered namaz on Fridays between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Hindus now hold the right to worship at the site, with the ASI retaining management and control as a protected...