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It is located in Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh and has found itself at the centre of communal politics in modern India. It was commonly believed, by certain sections in India, until about 1990 that an ancient Ram Janmabhoomi temple was demolished and replaced with the Babri Mosque which stood on the site until 1992. Historical opinion on the matter is divided. The site is intensely contested because the mosque - which was unused but had consequentially acquired symbolic value - was forcibly demolished by a group of Hindu rioters on December 6, 1992. Efforts to replace the mosque with a temple had been on since 1947 , but had been continually stymied by both the central government and various Indian courts. Its demolition triggered large-scale rioting across India and led to intense communal tensions between the majority Hindu community and the Indian Muslim community. It continues to be a major issue in Indian politics. Ayodhya is a city sacred to devotees of Vishnu , who many Hindus believe took birth as King Ram, and has several temples devoted to the deity. HISTORY OF THE RAM TEMPLE 19th century The Hindus of Ayodhya never lost the tradition to worship Ram on the Ramkot hill, and always returned to the site. According to British sources, Hindus and Muslims used to worship together in the Babri Mosque complex in the 19th century until about 1855 . P. Carnegy wrote in 1870: ''"It is said that up to that time the Hindu-Muslim clashes in the 1850s the Hindus and Mohamedans alike used to worship in the mosquetemple. Since the British rule a railing has been put up to prevent dispute, within which, in the mosque the Mohamedans pray, while outside the fence the Hindus have raised a platform on which they make their offerings." (P. Carnegy: A Historical Sketch of Tehsil Fyzabad, Lucknow 1870, quoted by Harsh Narain: The Ayodhya Temple/Mosque Dispute, Penman, Delhi 1993, p.8-9, and by Peter Van der Veer: Religious Nationalism, p.153)'' Hindus have been demanding the return of the site for centuries, as is witnessed by several western travellers to India during the Mughal Empire (see also the sections on history and literary sources). ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SITE Archaeological studies in the 1970s: Project "Archaeology of the Ramayana Sites" Between 1975 and 1985 an archaeological project was carried out in Ayodhya to examine some sites that were connected to the Ramayana story. The Babri Mosque site was one of the fourteen sites examined during this project. The team of archaeologists of the ASI, led by B.B. Lal, found rows of pillar-bases which must have belonged to a larger building than the Babri Mosque. Archaeological findings of burnt- Brick Pillar bases a few metres from the mosque indicate that a large temple stood in alignment with the Babri Mosque since the 11th century. ( B.B. Lal (Manthan, 10/1990) and S.P. Gupta (Indian Express, 2/12/1990), and annexure 28 to the VHP document Evidence for the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir. ) In a trench at a distance of four metres south of the mosque parallel rows of pillar-foundations, made of brick-bats and stones, were found. (Professor B. B. Lal, in the Hindu: 1 July 1998.) Professor Gupta later commented on the findings of the period prior to 1990: „ Several of the temple-pillars existing in the mosque and pillar- bases unearthed in the excavations conducted in the south of the mosque (although in the adjoining plot of land) show the same directional alignment. This will convince any student of architecture that two sets of material remains belong to one and the same complex.“ (Indian Express, 6/12/90) June to July 1992 In July 1992, eight eminent archaeologists (among them former ASI directors Dr. Y.D. Sharma and Dr. K.M. Srivastava) went to the Ramkot hill to evaluate and examine the findings. These findings included religious sculptures and a statue of Vishnu . They said that the inner boundary of the disputed structure rests, at least on one side, on an earlier existing structure, which “may have belonged to an earlier temple”. (Indian Express, 4.7.1992.) The objects examined by them also included Terracotta Hindu images of the Kushan period (100-300 AD) and carved buff Sandstone objects that showed images of Vaishnav deities and of Shiva - Parvati . They concluded that these fragments belong to a temple of the Nagara style (900-1200 AD). Prof. S.P. Gupta commented on the discoveries: ''"The team found that the objects were datable to the period ranging from the 10th through the 12th century AD, i.e., the period of the late Pratihara s and early Gahadval s. (....) These objects included a number of Amakala s, i.e., the cogged-wheel type architectural element which crown the bhumi shikharas or spires of subsidiary shrines, as well as the top of the spire or the main Shikhara ... This is a characteristic feature of all north Indian temples of the early medieval period (...) There was other evidence - of cornices, pillar capitals, mouldings, door jambs with floral patterns and others - leaving little doubt regarding the existence of a 10th - 12th century temple complex at the site of Ayodhya."'' (Narain, Harsh. 1993. The Ayodhya Temple Mosque Dispute) 2003: The ASI report The Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) excavated the mosque site at the direction of the Allahabad Bench of the Uttar Pradesh High Court in 2003. The archaeologists reported evidence of a large 10th century structure similar to a Hindu temple having pre-existed the Babri Masjid. A team of 131 labourers including 29 Muslims was engaged in the excavations. In June 11 2003 the ASI issued an interim report that only listed the findings of the period between May 22 and June 6 2003. In August 2003 the ASI handed a 574-page report to the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court. The ASI , who examined the site, issued a report of the findings of the period between May 22 and June 6 2003. This report stated: “ Among the structures listed in the report are several brick walls ‘in east-west orientation’, several ‘in north-south orientation’, ‘decorated coloured floor’, several ‘pillar bases’, and a ‘1.64-metre high decorated black stone pillar (broken) with Yaksha demigod figurines on four corners’.” (Sandipan Deb in Outlook India, 23 June 2003). Earlier reports by the ASI, based on earlier findings, also mention among other things a staircase and two black Basalt columns ‘bearing fine decorative carvings with two crosslegged figures in bas-relief on a bloomed Lotus with a Peacock whose feathers are raised upwards’. The ASI report of August 25, 2003 stated that there was evidence of a large Hindu temple having pre-existed the Babri mosque. The ASI report mentions a huge structure (11-12th century) on which a massive edifice, having a large pillared hall (or two halls), with at least three structural phases and three successive floors attached with it was constructed later on. The report also stated that "there is sufficient proof of existence of a massive and monumental structure having a minimum of 50 x 30 metre in north-south and east-west directions respectively just below the disputed structure". The ASI report of 2003 concluded that: "Viewing in totality and taking into account the archaeological evidence of a massive structure just below the disputed structure and evidence of continuity in structural phases from the tenth century onwards up to the construction of the disputed structure along with yield of stone and decorated bricks as well mutilated sculpture of divine couple...., fifty Pillar bases in association of the huge structure, are indicative of remains which are distinctive features found associated with the temples of north India." Some of the results of the 2003 ASI report: Period 1000BC to 300BC: The findings suggest that a Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) culture existed at the mosque site between 1000 BC and 300 BC. A round signet with a legend in Asokan Brahmi , Terracotta figurines of female deities with archaic features, beads of terracotta and Glass , wheels and fragments of votive tanks have been found. ( Pioneer, 9th September 2003. Ayodhya: lost and found By Sandhya Jain) Sunga Period. 200 BC: Typical terracotta mother goddess, human and animal figurines, Bead s, hairpin, Pottery (includes black slipped, red and grey wares), and stone and brick structures of the Sunga period have been found. (Pioneer, 9th September 2003. Ayodhya: lost and found By Sandhya Jain) Kushan period. 100-300 AD: Terracotta human and animal figurines, fragments of votive tanks, beads, bangle fragments, ceramics with red ware and large-sized structures running into twenty-two courses have been found from this level. (Pioneer, 9th September 2003. Ayodhya: lost and found By Sandhya Jain) Gupta era (400-600 AD) and post-Gupta era: Typical terracotta figurines, a copper coin with the legend Sri Chandra (Gupta), and illustrative potsherds of the Gupta period have been found. A circular brick shrine with an entrance from the east and a provision for a water-chute on the northern wall have also been found. (Pioneer, 9th September 2003. Ayodhya: lost and found By Sandhya Jain) 11th to 12th century: A huge structure of almost fifty metres in north-south orientation have been found on this level. Only four of the fifty pillar bases belong to this level. Above this lay a structure with at least three structural phases which had a huge pillared hall. (Pioneer, 9th September 2003. Ayodhya: lost and found By Sandhya Jain) Radar search In the winter of 2002-2003, Canadian geophysicist Claude Robillard performed a search with a ground-penetrating Radar by the company Tojo Vikas International Ltd. It concluded that “there is some structure under the mosque”. Robillard stated that "there are some anomalies found underneath the site relating to some archaeological features.(...) You might associate them (the anomalies) with pillars, or floors, or concrete floors, wall foundation or something. (...) These anomalies could be associated with archaeological features but until we dig, I can't say for sure what the construction is under the mosque. ( Rediff.com , 19 March 2003) Inscriptions Hari-Vishnu inscription: During the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992, three inscriptions on stone were found. The most important one is the Hari - Vishnu inscription inscribed on a 1.10 x .56 metre slab with 20 lines that was provisionally dated to ca. 1140. The inscription mentioned that the temple was dedicated to " Vishnu , slayer of Bali and of the ten-headed one" Ajay Mitra Shastri, Chairman of the Epigraphical Society of India and a specialist in Epigraphy and Numismatics , examined the Hari-Vishnu inscription and stated: :"The inscription is composed in high-flown Sanskrit verse, except for a small portion in prose, and is engraved in the chaste and classical Nagari- script of the eleventh-twelfth century AD. It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. Line 15 of this inscription, for example, clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps of stone (sila-samhati-grahais) and beautified with a golden Spire (hiranya-kalasa-srisundaram) unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings (purvvair-apy-akrtam krtam nrpatibhir) was constructed. This wonderful temple (aty-adbhutam) was built in the temple- city (vibudh-alaayni) of Ayodhya situated in the Saketamandala (district, line 17) (...). Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali (apparently in the Vamana manifestation) and the ten-headed personage (Dasanana, i.e., Ravana)." (Puratattva, No. 23 (1992-3), pp. 35 ff.) Pillars In the Babri Mosque were at least fourteen stone pillars that have been dated to the early 11th century and more pillars were found during excavations buried in the ground near the mosque. Two similar pillars were also found placed upside down by the side of the grave of Fazle Abbas alias Musa Ashikhan. This Muslim saint was the person that incited Mir Baqi to destroy the Janmasthan temple and build a mosque on it. (Hans Bakker: Ayodhya) Controversy of the archaeological findings Many Muslim and Marxist historians dispute the finding of ASI report, such as Dr Sushil Shrivastava in his review of ASI report {Link without Title} . Richard M Eaton, an American historian of medieval India, in his controversial Essays on Islam and Indian History (ISBN 0195662652) documents desecration of all Hindu temples between 1192 and 1760. The total adds up to 80. Eaton in his book does not claim that this list is exhaustive. Furthermore, each of theses 80 cases represents the destruction of not just one, but of a large number of temples. For example one of these 80 cases, the “1094: Benares , Ghurid army” case, refers to the Ghurid royal army that “destroyed nearly one thousand temples, and raised mosques on their foundations”. This figure of 80 cases doesn't include a Ram temple at Ayodhya. According to a study by the Archaeological Survey Of India in 2003, conducted on the orders of the Indian Supreme Court, the evidence indicates that a Hindu temple did exist at the site prior to the construction of the mosque. This study was ignored or disputed by some Muslims and Marxists. Press reports tended to underplay its importance, and often even stated that the ASI report (of the findings of the period May 22 to June 6 2003) didn't find anything. Sandipan Deb commented on the ASI report: “While most papers covering the new ASI report last week said that it claims there was no structure under the Babri Masjid, what the report actually says is that of the 30 recent trenches, the team has found man-made structures in eight, and none in 16. In five, they couldn’t decide due to ‘structural activities in the upper levels’ (mainly the plinth of the Babri Masjid). One trench they did not survey. Among the structures listed in the report are several brick walls ‘in eastwest orientation’, several ‘in northsouth orientation’, ‘decorated coloured floor’, several ‘pillar bases’, and a ‘1.64-metre high decorated black stone pillar (broken) with Yaksha figurines on four corners’. (Outlook India, 23 June) On the question whether Babri Masjid stands at the site of the alleged Ram Janam Bhoomi temple, the historian and son of former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Prof. S. Gopal, in a lecture delivered in Madras in May 2004 claimed, "So far no evidence has been found to support the claim the Babri Masjid was constructed on the land that had been earlier occupied by a temple." He asserted, "In Ayodhya to-day there are still about 30 places where Rama was claimed to have been born." Some critics of the ASI report further point out that the impartiality of the Director General of the ASI was in question since he had been appointed by a government whose leaders, they claim, were responsible or at least colluded, and certainly failed, to stop the destruction of the mosque. Some also claimed that India's leading archaeologists were kept away from the dig, however the excavations were carried out or examined by leading archaeologists, among them Prof. Gupta and many other archaeologists examined the findings. There are Marxist historians who say the entire town of Ayodhya was settled by Buddhist s, not Hindus, and the town had a large number of Buddha Vihara s (Buddhist shrines). Remains of some Buddhist shrines may be found in excavations, but they are unrelated to Hindu claims. In 2003 it was alleged by the Marxist paper People's Democracy that the Hari - Vishnu inscription would correspond to an inscription dedicated to Vishnu that was supposedly missing in the Lucknow State Museum since the 1980s. The museum director Jitendra Kumar however stated that the inscription had never been missing from the museum, although it wasn't on display and he showed the inscription of his museum at a press conference for all to see. It was different in shape, colour and text contents from the Vishnu-Hari inscription. (Hindustan Times, 8 May 2003). In addition, there are photographs that show the Kar Sevaks carrying a huge stone-slab bearing a sculpted frieze (e.g. In India Today, 31. December 1992: p.33). And the inscription has been examined by many leading Epigraphist s like Prof. Ajay Mitra Shastri. There were also attempts by Babri Masjid supporters to prohibit all archaeological excavations at the disputed site. Naved Yar Khan's petition at the Supreme Court to prohibit all archaeological excavations at the Mosque site was rejected. (The Hindu, 10 June 2003) LITERARY SOURCES Harsh Narain (1993) cited more than 130 references to the temple in English, French, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian and Arabic. Joseph Tieffenthaler The Austrian Jesuit Tieffenthaler wrote in )) Mirza Jain Mirza Jain was a Muslim who participated in an attempt reconquest the Hanuman Ghari temple (which is a few hundred yards from the Babri Mosque) during Wajid Ali Shah 's rule. :Mirza Jan wrote in 1856 that “a lofty mosque has been built by badshah Babar” on “the original birthplace of Rama”, so that “where there was a big temple, a big mosque was constructed, and where there was a small temple, a small mosque was constructed”. (Mirza Jan: Hadiqa-i Shahada (“The garden of martyrdom”), Lucknow 1856, included in the VHP evidence bundle: History vs. Casuistry, Voice of India, Delhi 1991, p.14). :Mizra Jain also wrote: ‘wherever they found magnificent temples of the Hindus ever since the establishment of Sayyid Salar Mas’ud Ghazi’s rule, the Muslim rulers in India built mosques, monasteries, and inns, appointed mu’azzins, teachers, and store-stewards, spread Islam vigorously, and vanquished the Kafirs. Likewise, they cleared up , Krishna as well as Sita 's Kitchen (i.e. part of the Ramkot complex) "were all demolished for the strength of Islam, and at all these places mosques have been constructed". (Sahifa-i Chahal Nasaih Bahadur Shahi (Persian: “Letter of the Forty Advices of Bahadur Shah”) in VHP evidence bundle. History vs. Casuistry, p. 13-14.) Shykh Muhammad Azamat Ali Kakorawi Nami Shykh Muhammad Azamat Ali Kakorawi Nami (1811-1893) wrote: ‘According to old records, it has been a rule with the Muslim rulers from the first to build mosques, monasteries, and inns, spread Islam, and put (a stop to) non-Islamic practices, wherever they found prominence (of kufr). Accordingly, even as they cleared up Mathura, Bindraban, etc., from the rubbish of non-Islamic practices, the Babari mosque was built up in 923(?) A.H. under the patronage of Sayyid Musa Ashiqan in the Janmasthan temple (butkhane Janmasthan mein) in Faizabad-Avadh, which was a great place of (worship) and capital of Rama’s father’ (p. 9). ‘Among the Hindus it was known as Sita ki Rasoi’ (p. 10). (Muraqqah-i Khusrawi, also known as Tarikh-i Avadh, by Shykh Azamat Ali Kakorawi Nami). Zak Kakorawi, in his publication of the work of Shykh Azamat Ali Kakorawi Nami, also includes an excerpt written by Mirza Rajab Ali Beg Surur. Mirza Rajab Ali Beg Surur (1787-1867) wrote in Fasanah-i Ibrat that ‘a great mosque was built on the spot where Sita ki Rasoi is situated. During the regime of Babar , the Hindus had no guts to be a match for the Muslims. The mosque was built in 923(?) A.H. under the patronage of Sayyid Mir Ashiqan… Aurangzeb built a mosque on the Hanuman Garhi… The Bairagis effaced the mosque and erected a temple in its place. Then idols began to be worshipped openly in the Babari mosque where the Sita ki Rasoi is situated,’ (pp. 71-72). Guru Nanak According to Bhai Man Singh's Pothi Janam Sakhi (late 18th century), Guru Nanak visited Ayodhya and said to his Muslim disciple Mardana: 'Mardania! eh Ajudhia nagari Sri Ramachandraji Ji ki hai. So, chal, iska darsan kari'e. Translation: 'Mardana! this Ayodhya city belongs to Sri Ramachandra Ji. So let us have its darsana.' (Narsh Narain. 1993: pp 14-15). Abul Fazl In Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari (1598), Ayodhya is called “one of the holiest places of antiquity” and “the residence of Ramchander”. It mentions the celebration of Rama's birth festival (Ram Nomi) in Ayodhya. (R.S. Sharma et al.: Historians’ Report, p.16.) Other sources A. Führer wrote that: 'Mir Khan built a masjid in A.H. 930 during the reign of Babar, which still bears his name. This old temple must have been a fine one, for many of its columns have been utilized by the Musalmans in the construction of Babar's Masjid.' ( A. Führer: The Monumental Antiquities and Inscriptions in the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Archaeological Survey of India Report, 1891, pp 296-297) H.R. Neville wrote that the Janmasthan temple "was destroyed by Babar and replaced by a mosque." (H.R. Neville in the Barabanki District Gazetteer, Lucknow, 1905, pp 168-169). He also wrote "The Janmasthan was in Ramkot and marked the birthplace of Rama. In 1528 A.D. Babar came to Ayodhya and halted here for a week. He destroyed the ancient temple and on its site built a mosque, still known as Babar's mosque. The materials of the old structure the temple were largely employed, and many of the columns were in good preservation." (H.R. Neville in the Fyzabad District Gazetteer, Lucknow, 1905, pp 172-177) According to Romila Thapar "If we do not take Hindu mythology in account the first historical description of the city dates back recently to the 7th Century , when the Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang observed there were 20 Buddhist temples with 3000 monks at Ayodhya, amongst a large Hindu population. In 1528 , nobles under Mughal emperor Babur constructed a mosque over the disputed site. The mosque, called the Babri Masjid, has become a source of contention for some Hindus. At the end of the 19th Century , Ayodhya contained 96 Hindu temples and 36 Muslim mosques. Little local trade was carried on, but the great Hindu fair of Ram Navami held every year was attended by about 500,000 people.". Censorship Several attempts to censor information regarding the destruction of the Ram Janmabhoomi (and other temples) have been discovered. The book " Hindustan Islami Ahad Mein" by Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai, which included a chapter that described the demolition of the Ram Janmabhoomi and other temples, was suddenly missing in most libraries. The English version (1977) has the passages that described the destruction of temples censored out. The book Muruqqa-i Khusrawi by Sheikh Mohammed Azamat Ali Nami, published by Zaki Kakorawi with the financial aid of the F.A. Ahmad Memorial Committee, has a chapter describing the destruction of the Ram Janmabhoomi censored out. Zaki Kakorawi later published the relevant chapter independently. He wrote about this incident that the ''‘suppression of any part of any old composition or compilation like this can create difficulties and misunderstandings for future historians and researchers’'' (Amir Ali Shahid aur Ma’rkah-i Hanuman Garhi, p. 3). RAM JANMABHOOMI TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION RELATED INFORMATIONS . Various workshops in different parts of India are working continuously since Sept. 1990 non-stop. Till 2001, about 45% of the work on Ground Floor was completed.]] Temple length - 268 feet, width - 140 feet Height - 128 feet, Circular route - 10 feet wide Stone for Temple - Balua stone of light pink colour from Bansipaharpur ( Bharatpur - Rajasthan ). Temple will be two-storied, iron will not be used. Ramlala will be established on Ground floor, Ram Durbar will be on First floor. Main Parts of Temple Singha-dwaar,Niratya-Mandap,Ranga-Mandap,Koli,Garbha-Griha, and Parikrama Each Storey will contain 106 Pillars, Total 212 Pillars, Each Pillar will have 16 statues. Height of Ground Floor Pillar 16.6 Feet Height of First Floor Pillar 14.6 Feet Doors - 24, Door-Frames - of Marble stone Work completed upto Shri Guru Purnima , July 05, 2001 Sculptured Marble Stones required for Niratya-mandap, Rang Mandap, Garbha-Graha, and Parikram-Marg for complete floor (Plinth level) are ready. Marble stones for Walls of Rang Mandap and Garbha-Graha (Mandower) are ready. Out of 106 Pillars (of 16.6 Feet each) for Ground Floor - 100 Pillars are ready, work is continuing on the rest. One Pillar consists of seven stones of different heights placed one above another and the work on Door-Frames for Ground Floor is continuing in Rajasthan. Sculptured Marble Stones Beams to be placed on Pillars in Ground Floor : Out of Total 170 Beams to be constructed - 50 Beams are ready. Work of sculpture on the rest is in progress in Ayodhya and Rajasthan. Length of Beams are 10 feet, 12 feet, 14 feet and 16 feet. Upto date 45% of the work on Ground Floor has been completed. {Link without Title} REFERENCES
In fiction The Babri riots are depicted in the 1995 film Bombay . SEE ALSO
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