“Whatever be the verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit, the matter will not be settled till the collective desire of the Hindus to rebuild the Ram temple is fulfilled.” – R. Balashankar
Sri Ram is not just worshipped as an incarnation, but is widely regarded as the singular identity of Indian culture, an ideal to follow. The Ram Janmabhoomi dispute started in 1528 when invader Babar’s governor Mir Baqi demolished the existing temple there and built the structure named after his master. This act was meant to humiliate the invaded. Since then, for the last 482 years, Hindus have repeatedly tried to liberate the holy land and the struggle continues.
Whatever be the verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit, the matter will not be settled till the collective desire of the Hindus to rebuild the Ram temple is fulfilled.
The fact that the fight for the liberation of the janmasthan has continued for nearly 500 years clearly shows that the issue has a life beyond politics. This issue was not the creation of either the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Sangh affiliates entered the fray only after 1984.
Two archaeological excavations on the site by the Archaeological Survey of India have proved the demolition of the temple to build the Babri structure. Since 1949, the place was under the occupation of Rambhakts and no Muslim prayer was offered there. There is, in fact, no Muslim habitation around the area. The site has no religious or sentimental value for Muslims. In the Islamic tradition, a mosque is not built in the name of an individual and since this was a Shia place of worship, the Sunni Waqf Board’s claim is not justifiable because the two communities do not worship at each other’s mosques.
Faith, history, archaeology and logic support the rebuilding of the temple. Ram Janmabhoomi issue will agitate the Hindu devotees till a grand temple is built in Ayodhya where Sri Ram was born. It was the depth of the public sentiment and popular support that forced the Congress government to open the lock in 1984 and later allow the Shilanyas for the temple. We are still discussing the issue because it is relevant and will continue to haunt the mass psyche as long as the idol of Sri Ram remains in a makeshift temple.
The massive security mobilisation and excessive media attention on the court verdict in spite of the contending parties keeping a low profile only demonstrate that the issue is relevant today.
Ayodhya is not a religious, sectarian issue. It is an issue of national pride and conscience. – Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Sept. 30, 2010
» R. Balashankar is the editor of Organiser Weekly
Related references
- The evidence at Ayodhya – N.S. Rajaram
- The Rediif.com Ayodhya-related articles list
- The Ayodhya evidence debate–1 – Koenraad Elst
- The Ayodhya evidence debate–2 – Koenraad Elst
- Hindu Temples: What happened to them, Vol. 1 – Arun Shourie, Harsh Narain, Jay Debashi, Ram Swarup & Sita Ram Goel
- Hindu Temples: What happened to them: The Islamic evidence, Vol. 2 – Sita Ram Goel
- Jihad: The Islamic doctrine of permanent war – Suhas Majumdar
- The legacy of Muslim rule in India – K.S. Lal
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