India court allows survey of centuries-old mosque to look for Hindu relics

FILE PHOTO: The Shahi Eidgah mosque and the Hindu temple are seen side-by-side in Mathura town, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, January 24, 2022. Picture taken on January 24, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) - An Indian court has granted permission to survey a centuries-old mosque to determine if it contains Hindu relics and symbols, a lawyer said on Thursday, in a boost to Hindu groups which claim it was built on a site of a destroyed Hindu temple.

The Shahi Eidgah mosque is located in Mathura city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, and the site is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna, revered by India's majority Hindu population.