As per the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and court directives, the site is officially referred to as the "Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque Complex." Bhojshala, an 11th-century ASI-protected monument, is considered by Hindus as a temple of Goddess Saraswati, while Muslims call it Kamal Maula mosque.
On the soil of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh stands Bhojshala, not as an ordinary stone structure, but as a witness to a thousand years of India's intellectual, cultural, and political churn. Once a place where words echoed louder than swords, Bhojshala today finds itself trapped between history, faith, law, and power - a living story that resurfaces every year with the arrival of Vasant Panchami.
The story begins in 1034 AD.
Under the Parmar dynasty, King Bhoj, celebrated as a master of 72 arts and 36 branches of weaponry, envisioned Dhar as a centre of learning. What he established was not a modest school but a grand residential Sanskrit university, comparable to Nalanda and Takshashila. Bhojshala rose as a space where education and spirituality were inseparable.
Its architecture reflected that ambition. A vast assembly hall stood on hundreds of red, ornately carved pillars. Sculptures of deities adorned its walls, latticed windows lined its northern and southern sides, and a large yajna kund lay at its centre. This was not just a campus; it was a civilisational statement.
According to the official website of the Madhya Pradesh government, King Bhoj (1000-1055 AD), an ardent patron of education and literature, founded a major centre of learning in Dhar that later came to be known as Bhojshala. Students travelled from far-off regions to quench their intellectual thirst here.
Classical India's finest minds are associated with this space: Kalidasa, Banabhatta, Bhavabhuti, Magha, Dhanapala, and others. On Vasant Panchami in 1035 AD, the consecration of an exquisitely beautiful idol of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi) took place. Bhojshala was no longer just a structure; it became the embodiment of knowledge itself.
For nearly 271 years, Bhojshala flourished as a centre of scholarship. Jain scholar Abhayadevji attained the title of Suri in Bhojshala.
Bhav Brihaspati of Kashi expounded Shaiva philosophy within its walls. King Bhoj himself was a scholar, but perhaps his greater legacy was nurturing scholars who shaped India's intellectual traditions.
The stones of Bhojshala also speak quite literally.
Government records note that the remains of the original Saraswati temple can still be seen within the Kamal Maulana Mosque complex. The mosque's vast open courtyard, pillared corridors, and the prayer hall to the west incorporate ornately carved columns and ceilings that originally belonged to Bhojshala.
Recovered inscriptions from the site tell a remarkable story: Prakrit hymns describing Karmavatara, the crocodile incarnation of Vishnu, and serpent-bound pillar inscriptions containing the Sanskrit alphabet, grammatical rules, tenses, and moods.
Behind the arches, on large black stone slabs, lies a dramatic Sanskrit composition, a play titled Karpuramanjari, written by the royal teacher Madan, a disciple of the renowned Jain scholar Ashadhar. The play references wars between the Parmars and Chalukyas, resolved ultimately through a marriage alliance. Even the ruins, it seems, continue to teach.
The government's description of Dhar calls it the "city of palaces", nestled among hills and gardens, showcasing refined civic life and cultural prosperity. People took pride in Bhoj's legacy, calling Dhar the "Queen of Malwa."
But history rarely remains kind to places of power and learning.
In the 14th century, Malwa faced repeated invasions. In 1305 AD, Alauddin Khilji defeated the Parmars, bringing their rule to an end. Bhojshala, along with many religious and historical sites, suffered destruction. The lamp of learning dimmed, and efforts began to alter the site's identity.
In 1514 AD, Mahmud Shah Khilji II attempted to convert Bhojshala into a mosque. A tomb was built outside, associated with Kamal Maulana despite historical records showing that Maulana had died over two centuries earlier, in 1310 AD.
Colonial rule added yet another chapter. It is said that in 1875, British officer Major General William Kincaid conducted excavations at Bhojshala. It is widely believed that during this period, the broken idol of Goddess Vagdevi was taken to London. For 151 years, the statue has remained in the British Museum on Great Russell Street, far from the land where it was once worshipped.
The modern dispute took shape in the 20th century.
In 1936, Muslims sought permission to offer prayers at Bhojshala. Resistance from the Hindu community prevented it, leading to a prolonged conflict that lasted until 1942. Eventually, the ruler of the Dhar State allocated separate land for a mosque, today's Rehmat Mosque.
Yet Bhojshala refused to fade into silence.
From 1952, cultural programmes resumed every Vasant Panchami. Demands to bring back the Saraswati idol grew louder. In 1961, historian Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar travelled to London, presenting evidence of the idol's origins. Still, the statue never returned.
The administrative battle erupted openly in 1995. Rules were framed, revised, and withdrawn. Some days allowed worship, others prayer. Locks were placed, removed, and replaced. In 1997, public entry was stopped altogether. In 2013 and 2016, when Vasant Panchami coincided with Friday prayers, Dhar witnessed lathi-charges, police firing in the air, and what residents described as an undeclared curfew.
Today, Bhojshala is neither just a temple nor merely a mosque nor only an archaeological site. It is a palimpsest, a layered narrative where knowledge, faith, history, and state power repeatedly collide. Its stones carry verses, its walls bear scars, and its silence raises a question that refuses to fade. Can the place King Bhoj built as a temple of learning ever reclaim the peace and intellectual dignity it once stood for, or is Bhojshala destined to remain a story written forever in conflict?
