Allahabad high court has allowed carbon-dating of the 'Shivling' at Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh.
The court ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the carbon dating process of the 'Shivling' found in the premises of the mosque, without causing any damage to the structure.
The mosque authorities say it is part of a fountain in the 'wazu khana', where ablutions are performed before namaz.
The pond complex of the mosque was sealed on May 16, 2022, after a purported 'Shivling' was found in the pond during a court commission survey on the same day.
Gyanvapi Mosque is a17th-century mosque located in Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India.
Carbon dating is a method of calculating the age of very old objects by measuring the amounts of different forms of carbon in them.
Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that is produced in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays interact with nitrogen atoms.
Carbon dating can be used to determine the age of material approximately 50,000 years old.
Carbon dating is a widely used technique in archaeology, geology and other fields.
