Mixed reactions to Jamia Masjid row in Srirangapatna

A Hindu activist said, 'I do not agree with those activists, who demand that the structure should be restored into a temple'

A temporary fence erected around around Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna town, Mandya district. Credit: DH Photo

Even as 'Moolamandira chalo', a movement of Hindu outfits to perform puja at Jamia Masjid in Srirangapatna on Saturday was a damp squib, right wing activists expressed mixed reactions over the controversy and recent developments.

Santhosh Gowda, a Hindu activist and also a businessman, said that Jamia Masjid is a national monument and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

"I do not agree with those activists, who demand that the structure should be restored into a temple. It should be maintained and conserved, as it is. Its evolution, over the past 800 or 1,000 years, is history. We do not need an expert, to tell us that it was a temple, before it was modified into the present form. Every pillar of the structure reveals its past form," he said.

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Gowda said, "My only demand is that the ASI, as well as other historians, should tell the truth, that it is a centuries old place of worship and that it was converted into the present form by Tipu Sultan, before Mysuru State was restored to the custody of the Wadiyar kings."

H B Gowtham, a Hindu activist and engineering student, said, “If Jamia Masjid is a protected monument under the ASI, human activity, other than conservation and tourism, should be banned. Thus, the residents of the structure should be vacated."

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“The ASI, and also the State government, should take steps to strengthen the structure, without harming the present form. Besides, the entire structure should be opened for tourists, with proper security and guidelines for conservation. At present many parts of the structure are either locked or sealed with walls,” said Gowtham.

Nagaraja Iyengar, a religious writer, said, “Activists can rake up any issue and put forth any demands, but my opinion is that puja or worship is not possible in the present structure of the Jamia Masjid”.

“There are tombs of some dead persons in the interiors of the structure. If dead persons are buried there, it cannot be a place of worship as per Hindu religious and spiritual sciences. Islamic scholars should tell whether the structure is suitable for offering namaz,” Iyengar said.