The ongoing controversy regarding the historic Juma Masjid of Bharuch has now taken a new turn.
A petition has been filed in the Gujarat High Court claiming that the site of this mosque, which is believed to be about 700 years old, was once a Jain pilgrimage site.
A sect from Maharashtra has already been claiming this place as its own. Now the Jain side has also joined this dispute.
Gujarat High Court has asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to investigate the matter. The court has also sought answers from the central government.
In this entire matter, five people have filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court demanding that this building be declared a Jain temple.
He claims that this place was actually known as 'Ashvabodh Tirtha' and 'Shakunika Vihar'. He also says that the statue of his Tirthankar Mallinath is present here.
Juma Masjid of Bharuch is also called 'Jumi Masjid'. There is a controversy going on regarding this for the last few years. At present this place is under the control of ASI.
In March, some people had allegedly forcefully entered the mosque. Some women also tried to perform puja by placing coconuts and other things there. Its videos went viral on social media.
After this, in June, a video purportedly from the basement of the mosque went viral. It was claimed in the video that idols of gods and goddesses were found in the basement of the mosque.
When BBC visited this place, a watchman and officers appointed by ASI were present there.
Namaz is offered five times a day in the mosque. After the recent controversy, the name and phone number of every person coming here is recorded. Only after this he is allowed inside.
According to some historians, Juma Masjid of Bharuch was built in the 14th century.
The Jain side claims that the statue of their 19th Tirthankara Mallinath is present in the mosque premises. The petitioners demand that this statue be protected and they be given the right to worship there.
Those who filed the petition include Delhi residents Harishankar Jain, Rahul Diwan and three others.
The Jain side claims that a mosque was built here during the rule of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq in the 14th century.
He says that the carving work like that of temples is visible in the mosque. Apart from this, figures of elephants and horses and statues of dancing women are also present here.
In the petition filed in the High Court, it has been said that the Archaeological Survey of India had declared Juma Masjid as a protected building in 1909. It is also included in the list of buildings of national importance.
Currently it is maintained under the 1958 law relating to ancient monuments and archaeological sites. Therefore its current status cannot be changed.
The next hearing of this case is to be held on October 22.
Harishankar Jain, who was among those who filed the petition in the High Court, told BBC Gujarati that he is fighting a legal battle to get back such temples in many places in the country.
He said, "Once upon a time, temples were demolished and mosques were built in their place. This building in Bharuch is actually a Jain temple."
"In the petition we have filed in the court, we have also included photographs of the mosque. Idols of gods and goddesses are visible in these photographs."
Harishankar Jain claims, "There is a basement in the mosque, in which many idols are still kept."
But Juma Masjid trustee Imran Patel says something different about the history of this building.
He told BBC that this mosque was already known as Jamia Masjid.
He says, "When Bharuch was known as a port, Muslim traders from outside came here. The ruler of that time gave them space to build a mosque."
According to Imran Patel, "The construction of the mosque was going on at a very slow pace, because at that time local artisans to build mosques were not available."
"At that time, the debris of temples was also available in the market. Therefore, the ruler had given permission to use the debris of the Jain temple. But no temple was demolished here."
On the current controversy, Imran Patel said, "All this is happening at the behest of some people from outside. Some people are trying to disturb the peace of Bharuch."
"We have not yet been made a party to this dispute."
On the claim of finding idols from the basement of the mosque, he said, "This building is under the control of ASI. Not even a single stone can be removed from here."
"It is possible that in the past a piece of stone may have been replaced in a pillar and there may have been a figure of their god on it. That is a different thing. But an attempt has been made to make it a political issue."
This controversy related to Juma Masjid is not limited only to the Jain and Muslim sides.
Mahanubhav sect operating from Maharashtra is also a party in this matter. This sect was founded by Chakradhar Swami.
The Mahanubhava sect claims that this mosque was once the birthplace of its founder Swami Chakradhar.
Sudarshan Nagaraj Kapate, secretary of the Mahanubhava Devasthan Trust of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, once claimed, "Our Guru Swami Chakradhar was born at this place."
He also claimed, "This place is our place of worship from the 12th century. It was demolished and a mosque was built here."
Kapate says that Haripaldev was born in a family following Jain tradition. Therefore this place is also called 'Samli Vihar Jain Temple'.
However, there is no archaeological basis available for these things.
According to the website of Bharuch District Collector, Juma Masjid was built in the 14th century.
Muktanand Swami told the BBC, "The so-called Juma Masjid in Bharuch is actually the birthplace of Chakradhar Swami. We are trying to preserve the original form of this place."
He claimed, "This place comes under ASI, but the rules of the Archeology Department are not being implemented here."
"Ablutions have been built in the mosque, water taps have been installed and dead bodies are buried in the graveyard. These things are being done even though there is no permission. We are protesting against it."
When asked why he considered Bharuch's Juma Masjid to be a Jain temple, Muktanand Swami said, "The carvings and other figures made there are not found in any mosque. The idols have nothing to do with mosques or Islam."
According to the Gujarat government's website giving information about Bharuch district, Juma Masjid was built from the remains of an ancient Jain temple in the 14th century.
Guidance was taken from Muslim inspectors to build the mosque. But the construction work was done by local laborers, who had probably never seen a mosque before.
It is also mentioned on the Gujarat government website that the mosque has a complex with entrances on three sides and the sanctum sanctorum is present on the west side.
Dr Shubh Majumdar, Superintendent of ASI's Vadodara circle, had said this much, "This building is open to all people. No one has been stopped from coming here."
Earlier, Archeology Department official Riju Ghosh had told BBC Gujarati, "Ever since it came under the purview of the Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, it has been in the form of a mosque."
"I can't say anything about what form it was in before this."
