Gyanvyapi-like shivlings may exist in temples destroyed by Portuguese: Goa Minister

Goa Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Tuesday added a fresh layer of intrigue to the ongoing Gyanvapi mosque controversy and the discovery of a 'shivling' inside it, claiming that a survey needs to be conducted in Goa to examine whether shivlings existed in temples razed by the Portuguese when the state was a Lusophone colony.

Speaking to reporters, Dhavalikar said that the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) should be tasked with such a survey by the state government.

“ASI department has to work in that regard. I personally feel that there could be such ‘shivlings’ at the sites, where the temples were demolished after 1510. Shivlings may be there somewhere in Goa and could be found at such sites,” Dhavalikar told reporters.

Also read: Protect area of 'Shivling' but no restriction for Namaz: SC on Gyanvyapi mosque complex

Dhavalikar was commenting on the developments related to the Gyanvyapi mosque issue in Varanasi, where a survey has led to the discovery of a 'shivling' inside the mosque premises.

The minister is a member of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which entered into a post-poll alliance with the BJP in Goa. He has been a vocal supporter of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's initiative to restore temples destroyed by the Portuguese colonists, largely in the 16th century. In his budget speech this year, Sawant allocated Rs 20 crore for the restoration initiative.

“Chief Minister's decision is final. Many want to rebuild such temples,” Dhavalikar said. Historical records also indicate that a significant number of temples were destroyed by the Portuguese during the early period of conquest in the 1500s. The religious and cultural persecution by the Portuguese had resulted in a flight of Hindus to areas outside Portuguese control, which are now in present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka.