A Rajasthan court’s recent decision to issue notices in a case filed by Hindu groups over alleged historical claims surrounding the Ajmer Sharif dargah has once again sparked a debate on India’s complex religious and historical landscape. At the heart of this case lies a 1911 book, Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive, and its assertion that the dargah may have been constructed using debris from a Hindu temple.
The lawsuit, titled Bhagwan Shri Sankat Mochak Mahadev Virajman vs. Dargah Committee, was filed in September by Vishnu Gupta, the national president of the Hindu Sena. The case claims that a Hindu temple once stood beneath the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti shrine, and the petitioners are seeking permission to worship there. In support of their claims, the petitioner’s counsel, Ramswaroop Bishnoi, referenced the historical text written by retired judge Harvilas Sharda.
According to Sharda’s book, which details the history of Ajmer, debris from a Hindu temple was allegedly incorporated into the construction of the dargah. Sharda’s work even describes a basement or sanctum within the dargah that may house a Shiva Lingam, a sacred symbol in Hindu worship. This suggestion that elements of a Jain temple may also be part of the dargah’s structure, including pieces of temple debris incorporated into the 75-foot-tall buland darwaza, has further fueled the controversy.
The lawsuit is not just a historical inquiry—it carries significant cultural and religious implications. The petitioner’s legal team has requested that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conduct a survey of the dargah to verify the presence of the Shiva Lingam and other claimed religious artifacts. However, the case has drawn strong reactions from other quarters.
The secretary of the Anjuman Committee, which oversees the administration of the dargah, has questioned the relevance of raising such matters at this juncture. He pointed to the Places of Worship Act of 1991, which mandates that the status quo of religious sites, as they stood in 1947, should be preserved—except in the case of the Babri Masjid. The committee’s stance is that the dargah, having been a site of worship for over 800 years, is a place of veneration for Khwaja Garib Nawaz and should remain undisturbed.
This case adds to a growing trend of legal challenges surrounding religious sites in India. In similar cases in Varanasi and Mathura, Hindu groups have claimed that mosques were built upon the ruins of Hindu temples. The ongoing legal proceedings in these cities, along with the recent survey orders in Sambhal, reflect a wider debate about the intersection of religion, history, and law in modern India.
As the Rajasthan court prepares for the next hearing on December 20, the case continues to raise questions about how India’s ancient religious sites are understood, preserved, and contested in the present day. With the weight of history and belief on either side, the outcome of this legal battle could have far-reaching implications for the country’s diverse religious communities and their shared heritage.
Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive
This book is an account of the history of the beautiful ancient city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, with its gay and busy bazaars and old houses, some of the finest in India. Published originally in 1911 this book contains an astonishing wealth of information about the city, including its history, language, arts and manufactures, food, clubs, festivals and fairs, monuments such as Fort Taragarh, Visal Sar Lake, Adhai din ka Jhonpra, Dargah Khwaja Sahib, and Lake Pushkar, etc. The city like the famous Kohinoor, has always been a prize in the hands of the victors. In fact, several chapters in the book deal with the archaeological monuments in Ajmer. The extensive Bibliography and the list of inscriptions add value to the book. About the Author Diwan Bahadur Har Bilas Sarda (1867-1955) was an academic, judge, and politician. He is best known for introducing the Child Marriage Restraint Act (1929). He lived in Ajmer for decades and it would be no exaggeration to say that he made the city known far and wide in India through his writings about this ancient city.