Indore: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the state government would resume efforts to bring back the idol of goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) kept in a museum in London.
Although the demand by the Hindu community to bring back Vagdevi’s idol to India is old, Chouhan’s announcement comes in the wake of Rishi Sunak becoming the first Indian-origin prime minister of Britain.
Dhar’s Bhojshala complex, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument, is home to Vagdevi (Saraswati) temple and Kamal Maula Mosque. It is believed that Raja Bhoj had installed the statue of Vagdevi in the Bhojshala complex of this ancient city in 1034 AD.
Hindu organisations say that the British took this statue to London in 1875 during their rule over India and it is currently in a museum in this city in England.
“I assure you that the initiative to bring back the idol of Vagdevi (kept at a museum in London) will be started effectively,” CM Chouhan said at the inauguration of the Young Thinkers Conclave in Indore.
Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war and other conflicts across the world, he said the road to world peace lies in the Indian concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family).
Hindus believe that Bhojshala is the temple of Vagdevi (Saraswati), while the Muslim community calls this place as Kamal Maula mosque.
As per ASI’s arrangement, Hindus are allowed to offer prayers at Bhojshala every Tuesday, while Muslims have been allowed to offer Namaz at this place every Friday.
—PTI

Press Trust of India