Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas

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Ayodhya dispute
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Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (translation: Ram Birthplace Trust) is an organisation which was formed as a trust to promote and oversee the construction of a temple in Ayodhya, India at the Ram Janmabhoomi, the reputed site of the birth of the Hindu deity Rama.[1] The Nyas was formed by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council).[1]

On 9 November 2019, the Supreme Court of India ruled to constitute a Trust to build a temple on the entire 2.77 acres of the land by the Central Government, not this Nyas. On 5 February 2020, the Central Government constituted the trust named Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra which is headed by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.[2]

Ayodhya dispute[edit]

Main article: Ayodhya dispute

In Hindu tradition, the birthplace of the deity Rama, known as "Ram Janmabhoomi", is considered a holy site. This site is often believed to be located in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, at the place where the Babri Masjid stood. Historical evidence to support this belief is scarce, and several historians have stated that Ayodhya became a religious centre with a number of temples only in the 18th century AD.[3][4][5] Following the Mughal conquest of the region in 1528, Mughal general Mir Baqi built a mosque named the Babri Masjid under the orders of Babur in Ayodhya; an inscription on its wall mentions this.[6] According to hearsay, Baqi destroyed a pre-existing temple of Rama at the site. Limited historical evidence exists to support this theory, and the existence of the temple itself is a matter of controversy.[4][5][7] Numerous historians have stated that there is limited evidence to support the notion that Rama was born at the precise location of the Babri Masjid, or that a temple to Rama once stood at the site.[3] The first recorded claim that the mosque stood on the site of Rama's birth was made in 1822.[4] Citing this claim, the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu sect, laid claim to the mosque, resulting in inter-communal violence in the period 1853–55.[4] In 1949, an idol of Rama was surreptitiously placed inside the mosque,[8] and an attempt was made to convince devotees that it had appeared miraculously.[9] An official investigation concluded that the mosque had been desecrated and the idol placed there by three men, together with a large band of supporters.[4] In the 1980s, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lent its support to an agitation to build a temple to Rama at the site of the Babri Masjid, and the mosque was attacked and demolished in December 1992 during a rally organised by the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.[9]

Foundation[edit]

The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) was founded as an independent trust by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad on 25 January 1993 to take charge of the site of Ram Janmabhoomi and oversee the construction of the proposed Rama temple.[1][10] Ramchandra Paramhans was head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, succeeded upon his death in 2003 by Nritya Gopal Das.[11] Its members argued that the Nyas was created so that the Government of India would not control the site and end up involving itself in the construction of the temple.[1] The RJN also operates workshops in Karsevakpuram (City of Volunteers), a major encampment of volunteer activists (called Karsevaks) outside Ayodhya preparing to undertake the construction of the temple.[10]

2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute[edit]

It has been suggested that a Rama temple formerly existed at the same site as the Babri Masjid, an idea supported by a court-ordered report of the Archaeological Survey of India following archaeological excavations around the ruins of the mosque, though the existence of this temple and the conclusions of the report are disputed.[12][13] The Allahabad High Court, based on the report by the Archeological Survey of India ruled that the disputed site should be split into three parts, with one-third going to the Muslim Sunni Waqf Board, another third to the Nirmohi Akhara and the rest to Ram Lalla Virajman with the right to sue and be sued as a juristic person.[14] However, the RJN claimed that it was the rightful party to take possession of the land and said it would appeal to the Supreme Court of India to seek possession of the entire site.[15]

2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute[edit]

The final hearing in the Supreme Court ended on 16 October 2019. The bench reserved the final judgment and granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on 'moulding of relief' or narrowing down the issues on which the court is required to adjudicate.[16]

The final judgement in the Supreme Court was officially declared on 9 November 2019.[17] The Court ordered the entire disputed land of area of 2.77 acres to be allocated for the construction of a temple while an alternative piece of land of area of 5 acres be allocated to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque at a suitable place within Ayodhya.[18][19][20][21]

Aftermath[edit]

On 5 February 2020, the government announced the creation of the trust to be known as Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.[22][23] The construction of the Ram Mandir commenced in August 2020 and the temple was consecrated with the deity of Balak Ram on 22 January 2024.[24][25][26][27] The mosque construction project was formally launched by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board by hoisting the national flag and planting saplings on Republic Day of 2021; the Mosque complex includes a hospital, museum, library, a community kitchen which can feed a maximum of 2000 people per day, an Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre and Publication House in addition to the mosque.[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Manjari Katju (2003). Vishva Hindu Parishad and Indian politics. Orient Blackswan. pp. 72–102. ISBN 978-81-250-2476-7.
  2. ^ "Trust Members". Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b Gopal, Sarvepalli; Thapar, Romila; Chandra, Bipan; Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi; Jaiswal, Suvira; Mukhia, Harbans; Panikkar, K. N.; Champakalakshmi, R.; Saberwal, Satish; Chattopadhyaya, B. D.; Verma, R. N.; Meenakshi, K.; Alam, Muzaffar; Singh, Dilbagh; Mukherjee, Mridula; Palat, Madhavan; Mukherjee, Aditya; Ratnagar, S. F.; Bhattacharya, Neeladri; Trivedi, K. K.; Sharma, Yogesh; Chakravarti, Kunal; Josh, Bhagwan; Gurukkal, Rajan; Ray, Himanshu (January 1990). "The Political Abuse of History: Babri Masjid-Rama Janmabhumi Dispute". Social Scientist. 18 (1/2): 76–81. doi:10.2307/3517330. JSTOR 3517330.
  4. ^ a b c d e Udayakumar, S.P. (August 1997). "Historicizing Myth and Mythologizing History: The 'Ram Temple' Drama". Social Scientist. 25 (7): 11–26. doi:10.2307/3517601. JSTOR 3517601.
  5. ^ a b Sharma, Ram Sharan (2003). "The Ayodhya Issue". In Layton, Robert; Thomas, Julian (eds.). Destruction and Conservation of Cultural Property. Routledge. pp. 127–137. ISBN 9781134604982.
  6. ^ Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited 2016, p. xxix, Chapter 5.
  7. ^ Avari, Burjor (2013). Islamic Civilization in South Asia: A History of Muslim Power and Presence in the Indian Subcontinent. Routledge. pp. 231–247. ISBN 9780415580618.
  8. ^ Panikkar, K.M. (July 1993). "Religious Symbols and Political Mobilization: The Agitation for a Mandir at Ayodhya". Social Scientist. 21 (7): 63–78. doi:10.2307/3520346. JSTOR 3520346.
  9. ^ a b Guha, Ramachandra (2007). India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy (1st ed.). India: Picador. pp. 582–598. ISBN 978-0-330-39610-3.
  10. ^ a b "Celebration in Karsevakpuram is premature". 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  11. ^ "Ramchandra Paramhans". The Telegraph. 6 August 2003. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  12. ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (7 December 2015). "Ayodhya Issue". In Smith, Anthony D; Hou, Xiaoshuo; Stone, John; Dennis, Rutledge; Rizova, Polly (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism (1 ed.). Wiley. pp. 1–3. doi:10.1002/9781118663202.wberen644. ISBN 978-1-4051-8978-1. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  13. ^ Etter, Anne-Julie (14 December 2020). "Creating Suitable Evidence of the Past? Archaeology, Politics, and Hindu Nationalism in India from the End of the Twentieth Century to the Present". South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (24/25). doi:10.4000/samaj.6926. ISSN 1960-6060. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  14. ^ Bajpai, Namita (9 November 2019). "High Court verdict on 3-way division of land failed to settle dispute". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Nyas to move SC, says 'no question of victory or loss'". Indian Express. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  16. ^ "Ayodhya case: SC concludes hearing". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Ayodhya verdict live updates: Supreme Court delivers judgement on Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Supreme Court's verdict on Ayodhya land dispute: 10 Key takeaways". The Times of India. 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  19. ^ The Hindu Net Desk (9 November 2019). "Highlights of the Ayodhya verdict". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Damage, desecration & demolition of Babri Masjid illegal acts, says SC". The Times of India. 10 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Hindus made a better case, Waqf Board couldn't prove exclusive possession of Ayodhya site: SC". The Times of India. 10 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  22. ^ "সুপ্রিম কোর্টের রায়: অযোধ্যার বিতর্কিত জমিতে রামমন্দির হবে, মসজিদ বিকল্প জায়গায়". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  23. ^ Saha, Poulomi (5 February 2020). "Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra: PM Modi announces formation of Ayodhya temple trust". India Today. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  24. ^ Travelli, Alex; Kumar, Hari (22 January 2024). "Why India's New Ram Temple Is So Important". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  25. ^ Mogul, Rhea (20 January 2024). "A decades long Hindu nationalist dream is about to be achieved. What does this mean?". CNN. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Date, aarti timings, darshan, and other details here". Mint. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Ayodhya Ram Mandir highlights: Celebration, lamps, fireworks light up the nation as it witnesses a historic day". Deccan Herald. 5 August 2020. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  28. ^ "Ayodhya's Dhannipur mosque project launched with unfurling of tricolour on Republic day". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 January 2021.

Bibliography[edit]

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