Explained: The Mathura Krishna Janmabhoomi Dispute And The 1968 'Compromise' Between Hindus & Muslims

Krishna Janmabhoomi Dispute: The Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute in Mathura is over eight decades old and involves ownership of 13.37 acres of land.

The Krishna Janmbhoomi Sthal is one of the most visited religious places in India and is the main attraction of the small town of Mathura

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New Delhi: Amid the row over the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex, another mosque-temple dispute is brewing in Uttar Pradesh. The Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute in Mathura is over eight decades old and involves ownership of 13.37 acres of land.

On Thursday, a district court in Mathura allowed a petition by the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust and other parties demanding the removal of the Shahi Idgah Mosque said to be built on "Krishna Janmabhoomi" or the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The lawsuit can now be heard in a lower court.

The Krishna Janmbhoomi Sthal is one of the most visited religious places in India and is the main attraction of the small town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Mathura and the areas around it, including Vrindavan and Gokul, are linked to the childhood stories of Lord Krishna and hence are important Hindu pilgrimage places.

• What Is The Krishna Janmabhoomi Dispute?

The dispute pertains to ownership of 13.37 acres of land that the petitioners have claimed belongs to the deity Lord Krishna Virajman. The petitioners have sought removal of the 17th century Shahi Idgah Masjid from the premises of the Katra Keshav Dev temple, claiming that the mosque was built at the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

The mosque was reportedly built on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1669-70.

On May 12, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered the Mathura court to dispose of all the cases related to the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute within four months.

• The 1968 'Agreement' Between Hindus And Muslims

Apart from the ownership of the land parcel, another bone of contention is the 1968 settlement between the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh, the temple management authority, and Shahi Idgah Masjid Trust. As part of the settlement, the temple authority had conceded the portion of land to the Idgah.

The petitioners have alleged that the settlement had no legal validity because the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust, having ownership and title of the place, was not party to it. Thus, the court should order transfer of the land on which the mosque was built to the deity, the petitioners have said.

• Who Are The Petitioners? What Have They Demanded?

Like the Gyanvapi mosque dispute, the Krishna Janmabhoomi case gained traction following the Supreme Court verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute in 2019.

The first petition in the case was filed in September 2020 in the Mathura civil court by Lucknow resident Ranjana Agnihotri and six others on behalf of "Bhagwan Sri Krishna Virajman". They had demanded the mosque be removed and the land returned to the Krishna Janmabhoomi Trust.

However, the civil judge rejected the suit on September 30, 2020 as non-admissible. The judge stated that none of the petitioners was from Mathura and therefore had a valid stake in the matter, PTI reported. The petitioners then moved the Mathura district court for a revision of the order. Their petion was allowed on Thursday. The Trust and temple authorities have been made party to the suit.  

Since 2020, at least a dozen cases have been filed in the courts of Mathura on the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi issue.

In one of the multiple pleas filed before the court, a petitioner has sought excavation of the disputed site under the supervision of the court, IANS reported. Another application has sought sending an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) team to the Shahi Idgah Masjid to survey the presence of "signs of a Hindu temple" there.

Another petition has requested the court to issue directions for the installation of CCTV cameras inside the mosque to ensure that the "signs of the temple" present there were protected. The court has also been requested to pass an order to ban entry of people into the Shahi Idgah mosque other than those residing on its premises.

• History Around The Krishna Janmbhoomi Sthal

According to historians, the Krishna Janmbhoomi temple complex, which houses the Katra Keshav Dev temple, is believed to have been built around the prison cell in which Lord Krishna was said to have been born. His parents were held captive inside the cell by the tyrant ruler Kansa.

Legend has it that the temple was actually built in the 6th century BC by Vajranabha, Krishna’s great-grandson. It has been renovated several times since then.

The Shahi Idgah mosque was reportedly built by Aurangzeb in 1670. In 1815, Raja Patni Mal of then Benaras (now Varanasi) bought the 13.77 acres of land in question in an auction from the East India Company.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the land belonged to the King of Benaras. The Allahabad High Court upheld the ownership in a ruling in 1935.

About 10 years later, the land was bought by businessman Yugal Kishor Birla. He formed the Sri Krishnabhoomi Trust with the aim to build a Krishna temple in the area. In 1958, the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh was formed and it took over the responsibilities of the temple trust.