Endless struggle for the liberation of Shriram Janmabhoomi

Most people do not know how long has the battle for Shriram Janmabhoomi gone on. Contrary to common belief, this battle is not decades old, but has been going on for centuries. When we look back in history, we learn that the fight for this Temple dates back to a period before Christ.

Dr Satchidananda Shevde is an author, orator and a Pravachankar in Marathi and Hindi since 1983. He received the ‘Rashtraseva Puraskar 2005’ for Society Education from Maharashtra Rajya Rashtra Seva Samiti & Padmashri Manibhai Desai Pratishtan, ‘Devarshi Narad’ from Sanatan Dharma Seva Sangh.

Dr Pareexit Shevde is known as young and dynamic voice of Ayurveda. He is a practicing as Ayurvedic physician.

1. Radiant sacrifice

History says that 76 battles were fought for the liberation of Shriram Janmabhoomi. A legend has been around for centuries that the Greek king Menander (Milind) invaded and destroyed the Temple built by Shriram’s son Kush in Ayodhya in 150 BC. After Menander’s defeat in the Shunga period, Shriram Janmabhoomi was freed; however, Ayodhya regained its past glory to some extent when King Vikramaditya rebuilt the Temple around 100 BC.

Islamic invasions of Hindustan continued later; but due to valourous kings like Raja Dahir, these attacks did were not successful. Around 1030 AD, Muhammad of Ghazni entered Bharat – this marked the beginning of the blood-spattered history of our Holy land. It is in this very period when Sorti Somnath was destroyed. Ghazi Masood Salar, who was involved in the destruction, then shifted his attention towards Ayodhya. King Suheldeva of Srivasti and Monks and Ascetics of various Akhadas put up a bitter resistance, and finally, Salar’s army was brutally defeated at Bahraich (in the present day Uttar Pradesh). For approximately 125 years thereafter, Bharat did not suffer the brunt of Islamic invasions. However, later, inhuman violence started all over again in the form of Allauddin Khilji. The mighty Devagiri Empire also collapsed. We are aware of Rani Padmini’s dignified sacrifice. Two centuries later, another violent invader named Babar attacked Bharat.

2. Who was Babar ?

Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babar was the son of Umar Sheikh Mirza, the 5th descendant of the tyrannical Turkish ruler Timur Lang and Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, daughter of Yunus Khan, the Great Khan of Mughalistan. She was also a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire through her father’s side. With the untimely death of her husband, when her son Babar was only ten, Qutlugh and her mother Aisan Daulat Begum, raised him. He was thus the 14th descendant of the equally tyrannical Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. After the death of his father, he came to the throne at the raw age of 12. Bega Begum, Ayesha Sultan Begum, Zainab Sultan Begum, Mousama Sultan Begum, Maham Begum, Gulrukh Begum, Dildar Begum, Mubaraka Yurufzai, Gulnar Aghacha, Nazgul Aghacha – This is only the known list of his Begums (wives). Babar’s entry into Bharat was after waging war against the Emperor of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi.

In a battle known as the First Battle of Panipat, Babar’s army defeated the Lodi army. After this, it was expected that Babar would do some looting in Bharat and leave. But he had different ideas. He was determined to capture the throne of Delhi. The main obstacle in his path in Bharat was the King of Mewar, Maharana Sangram Singh (Rana Sanga). Two battles were fought between Rana Sanga and Babar – at Bayana and Khanwa. In the second battle, the Rajput army could not withstand Babar’s artillery, and the Rajput army fell despite extreme bravery, thus paving the way for Babar to establish power. After this battle, Babar erected a mound of the heads of the slain Rajput troops and gave himself the label ‘Ghazi’. One who joins Jihad and kills non-Muslims is called ‘Ghazi’.

2A. Character of Babar : Any attempt to get information on Babar through Marathi sources either results in not getting enough or get to read articles in his praise. Even author Govind Sakharam Desai (Fondly called Riyasatakar Desai) has not escaped Babar’s charm. But if we study other contemporary tools, we get to see a distorted picture of Babar. Leaving aside the descriptions of Babar by Adigrantha or Goswami Tulsidas, Babar wrote his own autobiography titled it ‘Tujuk-e-Babri’. This book was originally in Chagatai language. Babar’s grandson, Akbar translated it into Persian; in which it is known as ‘Babarnama’. This book reveals that Babar was an addict, a drunkard and very cruel.

2B. Struggle over Shriram Janma-bhoomi from Babar to Akbar : Babar was blessed by 2 fakirs – Khwaja Abbas and Musa Ashikan Ami Jalal Shaha – to defeat Rana Sanga, and in return they demanded building a masjid in Ayodhya. Actually, both these fakirs stayed in Ayodhya as disciples of Shyamananda; but finally, they revealed their true nature. To fulfil his promise after the fall of Rana Sanga, Babar ordered his general, Mir Baqi, to demolish Shriram Temple in Ayodhya and build a masjid there. Not that he could easily complete the construction of the masjid. Mahtab Singh, Pandit Devidin Pandey, Rana Ranvijay and Rani Jayarajkumari along with Ascetics and Mahants of Naga, Nirmohi, Nirvani Goraksha Akhadas of Ayodhya gave bitter resistance to Mir Baqi from time to time; but all these heroes were vanquished and Babri Masjid was built in Ayodhya. All this has been described by an Awadhi poet named Jaswant through 70 poems. Scholars of the Awadhi language believe that poet Jaswant was a contemporary of Rani Jayarajkumari. The struggle for the liberation of Shriram Janmabhoomi continued even when Babar’s son Humayun and then his grandson Akbar ascended the throne.

Akbar took effective measures against this discontent. He built a Chabutara (Platform) at the disputed site and issued a royal decree that Hindus should worship there and no one should disturb them. This pacified the discontent for some time. This Chabutara came to be known as ‘Ram Chabutara’. Even during this period, there are references that people from all over the country used to gather for the Shriram Navami festival in Ayodhya. Subsequently, Jahangir and Shah Jahan emulated him.

3. Fanatic Aurangzeb himself destroyed Ram Chabutara

But then the fanatic Aurangzeb sat on the throne of Delhi and this picture changed. Many contemporary documents are available on the history of Aurangzeb’s cruelty and the nuisance he caused to the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Kashi, Mathura.. Aurangzeb destroyed Ram Chabutara. The tenth Guru of Sikhs – Guru Gobind Singhji – who rushed to fight Syed Hasan Ali’s army at the request of Baba Vaishnavdas, annoyed Aurangzeb and his dream remained unfulfilled. After this happened 3 times, Aurangzeb himself came to attack Ayodhya and dug up Ram Chabutara. He built masjids at two Holy places – ‘Seeta ki Rasoi’ and ‘Swarga-dwaram’. After Aurangzeb, the importance of monarchy gradually declined.

4. Treaty between Raghobadada Peshwa and Safdarjung

In the 18^th century, the Nawabs ruled Ayodhya. From Nawab Saadat Ali Khan to Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, efforts to liberate Ayodhya continued. Shujauddaula, the 3^rd Nawab of Ayodhya, sought help from the Marathas against the Afghan invasion. At that time, an agreement was signed between Raghobadada Peshwa and Safdarjung, that 3 important religious places of Hindus including Ayodhya should be handed over to Hindus. However, this agreement was not implemented. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, followed a different policy compared to the earlier rulers. He began to sympathetically honour Hindu beliefs about the Shriram Temple. During this period, a Sunni fakir named Ghulam Hussain started inciting Muslims by saying that this is Jihad for Muslims and the matter became heated. Thus in this period, another battle took place for Shriram Janmabhoomi.

5. Struggle for Shriram Janmabhoomi during the British period

The year 1857 dawned, when Hindu-Muslims in Ayodhya forgot all their differences and fought shoulder to shoulder against the British; but the British quashed the struggle and punished those who participated in it. Baba Ramcharandas (who was striving for Shriram Janmabhoomi) and Amir Ali (who opposed the British) were hanged. It is easy to see from every legal process that the British anyhow ensured that the Ayodhya issue does not get resolved.

6. Court battles before and after Independence

Shriram Janmabhoomi Muktisangram (Battle for liberation) was not only fought on the battlefield, but in Court rooms too.

On 25^th May 1885, the first case was filed in the Faizabad District Court for the Shriram Temple of Ayodhya by Mahant Raghuvardas. He demanded that Shriram Temple be built where worship had been going on for years. The British Government, however, refused to agree and asked for the status quo to be maintained. Has this picture changed much after Independence ? In fact, after 1934, namaz was not offered in Babri Masjid. In 1949, however, suddenly permission was sought to offer namaz and for the Hindus to stop worshipping at this place. At that time, Muslims as well as Hindus were allowed to perform religious rituals.

Abdul Barkat, the custodian of the structure, said on oath before the Court – ‘On the night of 22^nd and 23^rd December 1949, a light emerged from the disputed structure, and in this Divine light, the face of a beautiful child was seen. After this event, the Idol of Ramlalla appeared there, which later came to be called Ramlalla Virajman’.

On 29^th December 1949, Justice KK Nair declared the site ‘disputed’ and took its possession under Article 145. On 16^th January 1950, Thakur Gopal Singh Visharad filed a case. He said that no Muslim comes to Babri to offer namaz even after having permission. On the contrary, Hindus have been worshipping here regularly for the past 15 years; hence, Hindus should get this land. He also sought an order that the defendants cannot move the Idols. This demand was granted. On 5^th December 1950, Mahant Ramchandra Paramhansa filed another suit, which demanded that the disputed land be accepted as a Hindu place of worship and be given to the Hindus. This case was linked to the case of Thakur Gopal Singh Visharad.

Twelve years later, on 18^th December 1961, the Sunni Waqf Board filed a suit asserting its claim on the disputed land. In fact, according to the Indian Limitation Act, filing a claim after such a long period is not allowed; yet, it was entertained.

The Sunni Waqf Board had nothing to do with this land, because the Committee appointed by the Waqf Board in 1946 had said that the concerned premises is related to the Shia Sect. However, the case regarding Ayodhya continued, and finally in 2010, the Allahabad High Court decided to divide the Shriram Janmabhoomi into 3 parts. This decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, and as announced by the Chief Justice, the hearing of the case started from January 2019.**

7. Karseva to demolish Babri structure and the underlying reasons

Karseva is a Sanskrut word which means – service with one’s own hands. On 19^th February 1981, hundreds of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam in Meenakshipuram, Tamil Nadu. There was an angry response to this incident across the country. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which was established in 1964, started organising Vishal Hindu Sammelans (Conferences) across the country to raise public awareness against conversion. In one such large Hindu Sammelan held on 6^th March 1983, Congress leader Dau Dayal Khanna proposed the liberation of the religious sites of Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya. He also wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in this regard. As expected, the letter was ignored. The Congress had already stopped following the advice of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (the Iron man who restored Somnath), KM Munshi and Dr Rajendra Prasad. By then, the era of solo individuals with the Gandhi surname had begun in the Congress. It was surprising that the Shia leader Dr Huzur Nawab publicly supported Khanna’s demand.

7A. Establishment of the Ramjanmabhoomi Mukti Yajya Samiti

The first Dharma Sansad was held in 1984, and at the same time, Ramjanmabhoomi Mukti Yajya Samiti was established. Gorakh Peethadhish Mahant Avaidyanath was appointed as the Chairman of the Committee. Till this time, only priests and their associates were allowed to enter the temple in Ayodhya just to perform puja. At other times it was locked. In September 1984, the Shriram-Janaki Yatra was undertaken, followed by the Tala-Kholo Andolan (Open the Lock Movement). In March 1985, an appeal was made to the then Rajiv Gandhi Government that if the Government does not open the lock in the coming year, it will be broken. Interestingly, during the time of Rajiv Gandhi (who came to power after Indira Gandhi’s murder), the judicial system was immediately moved and on 1^st February 1986, an order was passed to remove the locks. In other words, this was not a change born out of any belief or realisation of truth, but was a ploy of Rajiv Gandhi to pacify Hindus after the Shah Bano case. The Sunni Waqf Board immediately approached the Court against this decision, but it was of no use.

7B. Muslim leaders made provocative speeches and raised the slogan of Jihad

In 1987, VHP started Sadbhavana Yatra for Hindu-Sikh unity. On the other hand, after the Shah Bano case, radical Muslims started spewing poison. On 30^th March 1987, a rally was organised at the Boat Club of Delhi. Along with the Shahi Imams (the heads who lead prayers in masjids) many other Muslim leaders made very provocative speeches and raised the slogan of Jihad. The side effects of this were seen only in the coming years and riots broke out in several areas including Meerut. It is noteworthy that no action was taken against those who made these provocative speeches. Is there a difference between then and now ?

7C. Implementation of the Shilanyas (Foundation stone laying) programme at Shriram Janmabhoomi

In such an environment in January 1989, it was announced during the third Dharma Sansad at Prayagraj that Shriram Shilapujan will be held in all villages on 30th September 1989 and the Shilanyas will be held in Ayodhya on 9th November 1989. In the meantime, the Shia Muslims repeatedly appealed that the Sunni Waqf Board should hand over the disputed land to the Hindus. The issue of Shriram Mandir came on the agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Government started efforts to obstruct the Shilanyas programme. Overcoming all the obstacles, the Shilanyas programme was held on 9th November 1989 as planned. The foundation stone was laid alright; but what about building a Temple ? On behalf of the administration it was being said that no such step should be taken since the order of the Court has not been obtained. It was noticed that the then Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh was also changing his tone.

7D. Brutality of Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Yadav

In this period, BJP leader LK Advani took out a Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya. Advani was arrested. The next year saw a lot of fanfare and finally it was decided that Karsevaks will gather in Ayodhya again in October 1990. At this time, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav declared in Ayodhya that ‘Parinda bhi par nahin maar sakata’ (Not even a bird can be fly). Yet, on 30th October 1990, the Karsevaks dodged the Police and gathered in Ayodhya. The Kothari brothers hoisted a saffron flag[A1] on the Babri masjid. After all this, the Police were ordered to attack the Karsevaks. Tear gas and firing started and the water of River Sharayu turned red with the blood of numerous Karsevaks. The Mulayam Singh Government fired at unarmed Rambhakta Karsevaks. The age of the Karsevaks did not matter to the Government. The Kothari brothers were killed at a very young age. According to BBC reports, over 500 Karsevaks were estimated to have been killed. There was a strong outcry over the massacre across the country. In many places, wives of ex-military officers also took out marches against the massacre.
7E. Collapse of the Babri structure in the end

After all this, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement gained momentum. In April 1991, the Dharma Sansad and the subsequent meeting at the Boat House again announced the resolution to build a Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. Now, the Congress Government headed by Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was at the centre and Kalyan Singh of the BJP was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. The Honourable Supreme Court had given directions that no untoward incident should take place in Ayodhya. No active movement was seen around Shriram Temple. Thus, 1992 dawned with the completion of the 5^th and 6^th Dharma Sansad.

When PV Narasimha Rao’s Government was again asked about Ayodhya, reasons such as moral responsibility of the administration, etc. were put forward. Considering the intentions of the Government, finally the VHP once again announced Karseva on 6th December 1992. On the same day, all the three domes of the disputed structure were razed to the ground.

There were various reactions to this incident from across the country. BJP leaders said that what had happened was neither planned nor appropriate. BJP leader Sundersingh Bhandari reacted that the Karsevaks who climbed the dome were Shiv Sainiks. When journalist Sujata Anandan asked Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray for his response, what he said became highly popular. Balasaheb said, “If my Shiv Sainiks have demolished Babri, then I am proud of them !”

8. To get the utmost meaning of Ram Diwali

The controversial structure was demolished; but, it did not help resolve the issue of the disputed area. Ramlalla travelled from the Civil Court to the Supreme Court, and has earned His rightful place today.

What can be a happier moment for the Hindus than to see the end of this endless struggle ? However, it is the duty of each Hindu to pay homage to every martyr who shed his blood for the mission of instating Shriram; and for this, the entire history of the struggle must be known to him.

Only then will Shriram Diwali, which will be held during the inauguration of the Temple in January, get its ultimate meaning.

(Read the complete Article on : sanatanprabhat.org/english/90700.html)