Religious rituals like ‘namaz recitation’ at a national monument such as Shaniwarwada are not legally permissible : Dr Pandurang Balkawade, historian

Pune – Shaniwarwada is a national monument classified under Category ‘A’ and comes under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which functions under the Union Government. No kind of religious rituals such as ‘namaz recitation’ are permitted at such national monuments. Even at places like the Taj Mahal, which houses the tomb of Mumtaz, the Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, or the Bibi ka Maqbara in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, no religious rituals are performed. Therefore, conducting a namaz at Shaniwarwada is legally inappropriate. This incident seems to have occurred due to negligence by the ASI and perhaps because the women involved were unaware of the rules, said noted historian and author Dr Pandurang Balkawade while speaking to the media.

No record of any tomb or shrine within Shaniwarwada in history !

The tomb currently present in Shaniwarwada bears a board with the name ‘Maqbool Hussain Madani’ and the date 26 June 1829. ‘Maqbool Hussain Madani’ is said to be a descendant of Mastani; however, there is no historical record linking him to the history of Pune. This name does not appear in any historical document or in ASI records. During the British period, several such disputed structures were created inside national monuments with the intention of sowing discord between Hindus and Muslims.

Incident occurred due to negligence of the Archaeological Survey of India !

Dr Pandurang Balkawade, Historian

Religious rituals were never conducted at this tomb earlier. Such activities have reportedly begun only in the past couple of years. The ASI must now take cognisance of this incident and ensure that such religious acts do not occur in future. Construction of Shaniwarwada began on 10 January 1730, and the house-warming ceremony took place on 22 January 1832. Shaniwarwada holds a significant place in the expansion of the Hindavi Swarajya. Therefore, such an incident at this historically glorious site is extremely inappropriate and has taken place purely due to the negligence of the ASI, Dr Balkawade stated.

Need to question the Archaeological Survey of India

Even though this mazari has the date 26 June 1829, how did it actually come there ? Is this date authentic ? It is necessary for the Archaeological Survey to verify this, and for that, a formal notice should be issued to the Archaeological Survey !