FEBRUARY - FOCUS 2024

TEMPLE IN AYODHYA- An Overdue STATEMENT

22nd January 2024, shall mark as a very significant day in the contemporary history of India that is Bharath. It was the day the long awaited temple for Lord Rama, the Maryaada Purushottam in the Indian pantheon of God heads, was formally consecrated at Ayodhya. The ‘500 years old’ wait is over, so informs public space. It has ended the alien influence that had disturbed the national conscience from times immemorial. However belated, the temple at Ayodhya has been an unprecedented development. It’s a statement all Indians, Hindus in particular, can be comfortable to align it.

Yes, this temple at Ayodhya did wipe out a historical humiliation, where an existing temple was destroyed some 500 years ago to build an alien place of worship. It was a statement then, for the alien force, only to humiliate us. Yes, at long last we could reverse it, at our own terms, within the precincts of law and order. Indeed, the temple at Ayodhya has proved that reverse is possible.

Reversal of fortune is an ongoing universal phenomenon. Colonising whites have lost their colonies the world over. Marauding invaders from Central Asian countries, who had become rulers by oppressive and repressive methods, were vanquished by those who followed into the country to loot and plunder. They have all become part of the history confined to school room classes.

It was in 1857, branded as the first war of Indian independence, the political dominance of those from beyond the Khyber Pass ended with British usurping the role of rulers, due to the fragmented Indian ruling class, who were truly the causa proxima for the subservience of the Indian polity for centuries. British too left the Indian shores, under pressure, both violent and non-violent. And India became a politically free country in 1947 which remained a ‘wounded civilization’, a pair of words coined by V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidadian writer of Indian descent. Britishers, when they were, kind of, forced out India, bifurcated the country as India and Pakistan. For record, they were only protecting the interest of Muslims in the Hindu majority India. It is another matter that there have been killings continuously for all these years inside Pakistan for all kinds of socio/political reasons and Indian Hindus had no role in these killings. It was Muslims killing Muslims in Pakistan. However, by hindsight, it could also be surmised that British wanted the sub-continent to remain on the boil for all times to come, as the history of 75 post-independent years, is a witness to the bloodletting.

Britain had made its fortune from its colonies and India was the ‘jewel in the crown’. They didn’t want to lose India. Winston Churchill didn’t hide his disappointment when the British government of Clement Attlee granted Independence to India. He had reportedly remarked that “India will be ruined and there will be chaos all over”.

Times have changed and India is a very prominent member among the comity of nations, trying to have a pot shot at ‘Super Power Status’, And come to think of it, the United Kingdom, which includes Britain, presently experiencing a Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, of Indian descent. That is indeed a role reversal, if it can be called one. Kind of a poetic justice!

Upon Independence from colonial masters, Pakistan degenerated into a theocratic state and Indian constitution makers sensibly went for ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaava’, which is the underlying Indian etho of secular governance. It is another matter that, over the years, this constitutional guarantee of ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaava’ was blatantly misused by all political parties and agenda driven media.

While everybody spoke of the rights and freedom of expression, not many thought of the responsibility of protecting and sustaining the pluralistic fibre of social harmony. Both politicians and media had their own priorities. They indulged in blatant fixation of ‘Who is Right & Who is Wrong’ rather than the issue based ‘What is Right & What is Wrong’.

Babri Masjid at Ayodhya has a history of hundreds of years. This ‘Masjid-e-Janmasthaan’, as it was called prior to 1940 was probably constructed post 1500 AD. There is a claim which informs that this masjid was built in 1528-29 according to Persian inscription on the walls of Masjid.

Available information from different sources confirm that both Muslims and Hindus were using the premises around the masjid. Also there are some affidavits filed by some Muslim residents of Ayodhya stating that ‘atleast from 1936 onwards Muslims have neither used the site as a mosque nor offered prayers there’, clearly indicating that the structure called Babri Masjid was under disuse. The same source informs that in 1949 Hindus took over the mosque.

Around the same time, an idol of Lord Rama was placed inside the mosque. On learning of the idol having been placed inside the mosque, Government reportedly locked the mosque to avoid any controversy. However in 1986, the then government of Rajiv Gandhi reportedly opened the lock of the Masjid/Temple complex and allowed idol worship therein.

According to sources in the then government, historical documents confirm that Hindus have continued to visit and pay obeisance all through the centuries despite Muslim occupation, while no Muslim ever went there even for prayers. In 1989 Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, allowed Shilanyas. This act of Rajiv Gandhi clearly inferred that he favoured Hindu claim of temple in the disputed site in Ayodhya. But Congress lost the election in 1989 and Rajiv Gandhi was sadly assassinated in May 1991. May be, if he was alive and in power, he could have solved the vexed problem. However the Marxist lobby among historians were vehemently opposed to the temple theory.

In the meanwhile LK Advani, the then President of BJP took a Rath Yaathra in 1990 for over a month from Kutch in Gujarat to Ayodhya in U.P. So suddenly the issue of Ram Janmabhoomi occupied the national space. For the first time most Indians learnt about the Babri Masjid/Ram Temple tangle.

Come 6th December 1992, a restive crowd of Hindu karsevaks demolished the five centuries old Babri Masjid. Nothing happened in Ayodhya, as a reaction to the demolition. But far away Mumbai, days later, witnessed widespread violence and riot followed. It was clear that some vested interest forces, intent on creating unrest had engineered the violence and riot. But very sadly none in the media or authorities in internal security including police questioned the incongruity of the entire development. So somebody was fishing in the troubled water. Did the demolition of an old decrepit structure built some 500 years ago and in disuse, deserve the brutal killings of some 2000 people, both Hindus and Muslims?

Back to Ayodhya, life had gone on with the issue of land ownership around the mosque/temple site going to Allahabad High Court (AHC). There were 3 parties to the dispute, 1) Ram Lalla Virajman- the deity – represented by a trust, 2) Nirmohi Akhara and 3) UP Sunni Waqf Board. On 30th September 2010, the court in its wisdom divided the land equally among the 3 claimants to the ownership of the land around Masjid/Temple. It appeared very sagacious under the circumstances, that none could claim victory or otherwise. There was no public display of joy or disappointment. However, politicians and media did try to throw muck around, although people in general, both Hindus & Muslims, displayed no bitterness and had probably recognized that violence simply does not pay. Despite AHC having been pari-passu in its judgement of trifurcating the land in question, all three parties went to Apex court. The highest court of the land wisely decided to settle the matter in time bound manner. Thus it fixed the date of 17th Nov 2019.

However the Supreme Court proved better than that. It delivered its final verdict a week before 17/11/2019, on 9th November 2019, itself. Unlike the AHC judgment of 3/2, the verdict of SC was unanimous. The entire bench of 5 judges unanimously decided to give the disputed land to temple adherents and asked the State government to provide 5 acre land in the vicinity, where Masjid adherents could have their construction of their choice. Reportedly court had given enough cogent reasons for arriving at a unanimous judgment involving 5 senior most judges of the apex court, which also included a Muslim gentleman, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer.

Among other observations, the judgment reiterated, “The disputed site was government land in the revenue record. The fact that there lay a temple beneath the destroyed structure has been established by the findings of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), and the underlying structure was not an Islamic structure.” However court also admitted that “The destruction of the mosque and the obliteration of Islamic structure was an egregious violation of the rule of law.”

Thus, the saga of Ram Janmabhoomi struggle was concluded by the highest adjudicator of the land, while giving credence to the fact that Hindu litigants had presented better evidences of their continuous worship at the disputed structure for centuries and Muslim litigants presented no evidence to prove their possession of the disputed structure. Thus the court was clearly convinced of the case in favor of the Hindu litigants. Here it is very pertinent to recapitulate and reproduce the report from ASI, especially the reiteration from its former Regional Director K.K Mohammed (KKM). The fact that KKM is a Muslim, has lent better credibility and seriousness to the entire exercise. He had extensively studied the excavated matter underneath the Babri Masjid, to confirm the existence of a temple beneath the construction of Babri Masjid and had submitted in writing his entire findings to the adjudicating authorities to take the decisive stand on where lies the truth. Country is truly beholden to the honest and committed service of KKM towards a historic conclusion of a highly emotive issue.

However what was most disquieting was the response of some of our members of the political class and writings of some journalists. Here it is pertinent to recollect the names of the journalists who were extremely biased in their reportage and comments. Vidya Subramaniam & Krishnadas Rajgopal of THE HINDU and Aakar Patel & Swaminathan Anklesaia Aiyar writing for TIMES OF INDIA, have been extremely boorish and poisonous in their response to the judgment.

Yes, down the line, post the apex court judgement, in just over 4 years - 9th November 2019 to 22nd January 2024 - the trust, managing the affairs of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple project, managed to declare open the magnificent temple complex to the joy and happiness of a population, who mentally suffered and endured the atrocity of the violence of colonial usurpers of power.

Indeed the temple at Ayodhya is a statement to the wide world that Bhaarath that is India has arrived on the global scene as never before. Of course, the development should not lead to arrogance. Instead it must reiterate the time honored civilizational attribute of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. However what is indeed a matter of concern, how some of the western media has reacted to the opening ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya. Despite the entire exercise of acquisition of the land and construction of the temple has been based on the legally settled verdict of the highest court of the land and the information available in the public space, for the western media to react so badly reflect their animosity towards an emerging large economy. (See box for their reaction).

Here it is pertinent to reproduce some details of demolitions of Hindu places of worship by alien forces from pages of history, how India and Indians have suffered.

According to historical records, it was a fact that lot of temples in India were destroyed by invading Turks and Mongols. They managed to destroy local culture including forced conversion where possible, killing of locals who did not agree to convert and making our women folks as sex slaves, in some pockets. But they could not succeed in converting the entire population, even though they built their places of worship by destroying Hindu temples.

According to TIME/LIFE History Series, published from Amsterdam, Islam came to India in 12th century. One of the books HISTORY OF THE WORLD – AD 1100/1200 informs readers that the “Qawat - al – Islam mosque in the city of Delhi was built by forced Hindu labour, on the site of a Hindu shrine from the materials of some 27 wrecked Hindu temples in the neighborhood. (Page/95)

Mohd. Bin Qasim was the first Muslim to invade India in 712 AD. From then on there have been continuous invasion during following years. The book for period AD 1500-1600 informs that in Jan 1505, horsemen led by Babur (pronounced as Baabar) set out on expedition east of Kabul. In some days they were into a land, in the words of Babur “where everything was different, from grasses, from the trees, the animals, the birds, the manners and customs of people”. He was literate and was writing diaries. From the barren mountains of Central Asia to the fertility of Northern India, “we were amazed and in truth there was much to be amazed at” was Babar’s take. He decided to stay put in India after a couple of visits. According to this History Series books, Babur was not an invader, but was invited by disgruntled elements of Delhi Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi, to come and take over Delhi. After defeating Lodhi army, Babur took over the Lodhi Sultanate in Delhi and established Mughal empire. It was in 1526. He had on record stated “Mischief and devastation must always be expected from wretched Mughal hordes”. No wonder the temple in Ayodhya was one of his target of demolition and ordered “a mosque to be built on the temple”. So it was during 1528/29 a masjid was constructed by his commander Mir Baqui. It was named Babri after Babur. However Babur died soon thereafter on 26th Dec 1530.

Apparently after the passing away of Babur and changes in Mughal rulers, Delhi remained a place of political significance and Ayodhya lapsed into insignificance. The resultant neglect of the royalty led to the gradual absence of Muslims visiting Babri Masjid. It became part of the amnesia of Islamic adherents. But Hindu adherents have probably kept alive their allegiance to the site of Ramjanmabhoomi by visiting and paying obeisance to the deity.

Thus, according to the sources in government, it was recorded as far back as 1885, by the sub-judge of Faizabad court, an Englishman, who observed that: “It is most unfortunate the Masjid should have been built on land specially held sacred by Hindus. But as the event occurred 358 years ago, it is too late now to remedy the grievance” while dismissing a plea to build temple at the site.

These developments clearly prove the case of Ramajanmabhoomi Temple litigants.

As we wind up, it is hoped that with the temple having been built and declared open for public, a long term peace will usher in the country. Only long term peace will ensure the steady socio-economic growth of our Mera Bharath Mahaan! Hope it does.