Ram Janmabhoomi

Ram Janmabhoomi is a location in the Indian city of Ayodhya which is believed by Hindus to be one of the birthplaces of the mythical Hindu deity Rama. The site is intensely contested because it is also the location of a recently destroyed Muslim mosque, Babri Masjid. This mosque was built in the 16th century by Babur, a descendant of Genghiz Khan and Timurlane, and who founded the Mughal Empire and was built over an earlier Hindu temple, according to Babur's own account, although Indian Muslims today prefer to deny this. Recently, the Archeological Survey of India produced a report that stated, from digging and studies of materials and layers under the since destroyed mosque, there was evidence of a large Hindu temple having pre-existed the Babri, destroyed by Mughal invaders.

The demolition of the Babri Masjid set off a horrific round of genocide, especially in Bombay, that lasted two months (December 1992 & January 1993), and where the actual toll of lives is far less than the official one (See also Justice Sreekrishna Commission of Inquiry). In retaliation, Muslim criminal gangs, principally the D-Gang operated by Dawood Ibrahim Khaskar, the Konkanni Muslim and acolyte of former Mafia don Haji Mastan, staged a simultaneous, multiple bomb attacks in Bombay using RDX and whose toll is also not finally set.

Hindus have been demanding the return of the site for centuries, as is witnessed by several western travellers to India during the Mughal Empire.

In 1857, when Hindus and Muslims jointly rose against England, the Muslims, in an effort to secure Hindu support for the restoration of the Muslim Mughal Empire, covenanted to hand-over the site to the Hindus. However, when the rebellion was suppressed, the English refused to permit the agreement to be implemented.

In the late 20th century some Hindus, mostly associated with the nationalist Hindutva movement, argued for the destruction of the mosque, which had been unused, and the rebuilding of the temple.

Shortly after India's independence, and in the context of a mutual emigration of Muslim and Hindu from India and the newly carved out land of Pakistan, unidentified persons entered the building and installed idols of Rama and other associated persons.

Years later, in order to appease inflamed Hindu passions, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi permitted Hindus to worship in the building.

In 1992, a Hindu mob tore down the mosque. To date, the site remains unused, as India's courts decide on its eventual disposition.

According to a controversial 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.

The name Ram Janmabhoomi simply means "birthplace of Rama."

Muslim claims over the site are largely represented by the Babri Masjid Action Committee which holds a hardline position on the issue, demanding the restoration of the site and the mosque.

Making a third side is a group of Hindus who demand that right-wing Hindu organisations butt out so that they can reach an amicable, inclusive understanding with the local Muslims, suggesting a solution like that of Mathura, where a mosque and temple co-exist on the site claimed to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Krishna.

External links

• The Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir (http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/rjm/)
• Ayodhya (http://ayodhya2000.tripod.com/table_of_contents.htm)
• Articles on the Ayodhya Debate (http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/articles/ad.html)
• Ayodhya and the Research on the Temple of Rama (http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ayodhya_and_the_research_on_the_temple_of_Lord_Rama.htm)
• Facts about the Ayodhya Dispute (http://www.caribbeanhindu.com/Ayodhya_Facts.htm)
• Hindu Temples - What happened to them? By S.R. Goel (http://voi.org/books/htemples1/)