The Archaeological Survey of India has been directed by the Union Ministry of Culture to conduct excavation and iconography of idols at the Qutub Minar complex. The decision comes as the Gyanvapi survey gains steam. Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Govind Mohan, on Saturday, visited the Qutub Minar, a World Heritage monument.
Three historians, four ASI officers and researchers accompanied Mohan on the visit. No excavation work has been done at the site since 1991.
ASI’s ex-regional director Dharamveer Sharma's claim that the Qutub Minar was not constructed by Qutb a-Din Aibak, but by Raja Vikramaditya to study the direction of the sun sparked a controversy. Amid this, several Hindu groups have reportedly been demanding that the Qutub Minar complex be renamed over claims that the place was earlier one for Hindu and Jain temples.
The ASI can start excavation at a distance of 15 metres from the mosque in the south of the minaret. The ASI has been asked to submit its excavation report to the ministry.
