The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday declared that it will build a grand temple at the disputed Kamal Maula Mosque-Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar.
Thr right wing outfit said the temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) would be built on the lines of the Ram Temple, constructed over the site of the demolished 16th-century mosque Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
Addressing a large gathering before taking the darshan of Goddess Vagdevi at Bhojshala on the occasion of Basant Panchami, VHP International President Alok Kumar said the already consecrated idol of the deity for the site is currently in a museum in London, and it needs to be brought back.
"We have to bring this idol back to India. We have to win the pending court case and restore the temple's appearance to the dignity of Goddess Saraswati," Kumar said.
"Can you and I resolve that we will complete the court process, bring back the idol of Goddess Vagdevi from there (London), and consecrate the idol here (Bhojshala) again in 2034 with the same grandeur as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya," he asked the gathering.
After a Supreme Court order allowing both Hindus and Muslims to offer prayers at the disputed site, the respective communities conducted Basant Panchami pooja and namaz at the complex on Friday.
The Muslim community refers to the 11th-century monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the Kamal Maula Mosque while the Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.
The ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, which allows Hindus to worship at Bhojshala every Tuesday, while Muslims are permitted to offer prayers on Fridays.
As Basant Panchami fell on Friday this year, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a time-sharing formula to prevent potential friction, ruling that the Hindu community will be permitted to perform prayers from sunrise to sunset, and the Muslim side will be allowed to offer namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm.
As per the SC directions, Muslims offered prayers at a place allocated to them between 1 to 3 pm, the district administration said in a release. The puja began in the early hours under heavy security and will continue till sunset.
Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti, a local organisation, began the puja by installing an image of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, amidst chanting of Vedic mantras, and the 'Akhand Puja' (a continuous sequence of prayers from sunrise to sunset) was initiated by offering oblations in the 'havan kund'.
Around 8,000 police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in the city.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi said that the entire city has been mapped and sensitive areas have been identified.
He said that the disputed complex has been divided into six sectors, while the city has been divided into seven zones, and every street is being monitored.
Drones and CCTV cameras are also being used to scan the area, he added.
Awasthi said that social media is also being monitored to prevent the spread of any inflammatory messages.
(With inputs from PTI)