Ram Janmabhoomi (??? ????????) refers to a tract of land in the North Indian city of Ayodhya which is claimed by Hindus as the birthplace of Rama. It is believed[weasel words] that, prior to 1528, a temple stood at this site and that in 1528 the temple was demolished on the orders of Mughal invader Babur and a mosque was built on its ruins. This mosque came to be known as the Babri Masjid. A movement was launched in 1984 by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) eventually leading to the destruction of the masjid on the morning of December 6 1992 by radical Hindu Kar Sevaks. The VHP wants to erect a temple dedicated to Ram (infant Rama) at this spot. Many Muslim organizations, on the other hand strongly oppose the building of the temple.
References such as the 1986 edition of the Encyclopdia Britannica reported that "Rama's birthplace is marked by a mosque, erected by the Moghul emperor Babar in 1528 on the site of an earlier temple".[1] According to the Hindu view, the ancient temple could have been destroyed on the orders of Mughal emperor Babur. This view has been challenged by Romila Thapar and other historians it has been concluded as incorrect[2].
In his slim yet insightful booklet, Communal History and Rama's Ayodhya, Professor Ram Sharan Sharma writes, "Ayodhya seems to have emerged as a place of religious pilgrimage in medieval times. Although chapter 85 of the Vishnu Smriti lists as many as fifty-two places of pilgrimage, including towns, lakes, rivers, mountains, etc., it does not include Ayodhya in this list."[3] Sharma also notes that Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramcharitmanas in 1574 at Ayodhya, does not mention it as a place of pilgrimage.[3] After the demolition of Babri Masjid, Professor Ram Sharan Sharma along with Historians Suraj Bhan, M.Athar Ali and Dwijendra Narayan Jha came up with a one-sided story Historian's report to the nation on how the communalists were mistaken in their assumption that there was a temple at the disputed site and how it was sheer vandalism in bringing down the mosque and the book has been translated into all the Indian languages.[4]
Chronology of eventsIn 12th century, a temple complex is built in honour of Lord Ram
In 1528, the Babri Masjid is constructed on the orders of the Mughal leader Babur post destruction of existing ram mandir.
In 1949, icons of Lord Ram appeared in the Babri Masjid. The semi-governmental Wakf Board, an Indian Muslim trust owned the land on which the mosque stood. Both Hindu and Muslim parties launch civil suits and the Indian government, declaring the site "disputed", locks the gates to the mosque.[5]
In 1984, a movement is started for the creation of Ram Janmabhoomi temple by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party, under the leadership of L K Advani.[5]
In 1986, a district judge of Uttar Pradesh, orders the opening of the disputed structure to Hindus. This, allegedly, came from the Congress government which tried to balance the favour shown to the Muslims in Shah Bano controversy.[5]
In 1989- 1990, the VHP intensifies its activities by laying foundations of the Ram temple on the adjacent property. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar proposes negotiations which only intensify the crisis.
In 1992, on December 6, the Structure is forcibly demolished by Kar Sevaks.[5][6] The then Narasimha Rao led Congress government let a makeshift temple appear in its place before moving the courts for status quo.[7] The demolition of the mosque triggered large-scale rioting.
In 2005 Kashmiri terrorists attacked the structure and were gunned down by security forces (for more information see Ram Mandir Attack). On April 3rd, 2009 the Bhartiya Janta Party - BJP released their Manifesto again promising to construct Ram Mandir -[5] -[6]
19th centuryClaims have been made that worship took place on a platform called "Ram Chabutara" prior to Independence. According to British sources, Hindus and Muslims used to worship together in the Disputed Structure in the 19th century until about 1855. P. Carnegy wrote in 1870:
- "It is said that up to that time, 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."[8]
This platform was outside the disputed structure but within its precincts. Hindu protagonists say that they have been demanding the return of the site for centuries, and cite accounts from several western travellers to India during the Mughal rule in India.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjanmabhoomi
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