ASI Grants Hindus Unrestricted Access to Bhojshala Complex After MP High Court Verdict

May 16, 2026 : The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has granted unrestricted access to Hindus for worship and other religious activities at the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, a day after the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the site a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.

According to the ASI order, Bhojshala was historically a centre of learning and research related to Sanskrit language, grammar and literature, apart from being a temple. The order stated that the Hindu community would now have unrestricted access to the complex for the traditional practices of worship and learning associated with Goddess Saraswati.

On Friday, the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that the Bhojshala complex is a temple of Goddess Saraswati and observed that the Centre and the ASI are empowered to decide matters relating to its administration and management.

The High Court also set aside the ASI’s April 7, 2003 order that had permitted Muslims to offer namaz at the complex every Friday. The Muslim side has long referred to the 11th-century ASI-protected monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque.

While delivering its verdict, the bench stated that members of the Muslim community may approach the state government for the allotment of separate land in Dhar district for the construction of a mosque.