This Annexure gives the summary of the
evidence provided by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in December 1990 to the
government of India. This evidence was compiled in context of the discussions
organised by the Chandrashekar government, and the moot point then was:
Is there proof that an old and persistent tradition among Shri Rama devotees
has considered the site as the sacred Shri Rama Janmabhoomi, and that
Shri Rama worship ttok place there in a temple, before and until the Babri
structure was built? It has also been published by the VHP, and many have
written about the points made therein. The evidence establishes the vandalism
at the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi site in 1528 AD.
The full evidence is available at the
following websites: http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/rjm/index.htm
As a response to a White Paper prepared
by the Narsimha Rao government in February 1993, the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) brought out its own document in April 1993. The section relating
to the evidence of the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi temple not only gives a summary
of the evidence, but also includes comments made by the Government of
India on the submissions made by the VHP. While the government comments
have not been made public, the BJP's White Paper is in the public domain.
To the best of our knowledge the BJP's reproduction of government notes
have not been denied.
The relevant section is available at
the following websites: http://www.hvk.org/ram/a8.htm
The full White Paper of the BJP is
available at the following websites: http://www.hvk.org/specialrepo/bjpwp/index.htm
The evidence provided by the VHP was divided
into five parts. The first part dealt with the Hindu testimony. The city
of Ayodhya has undeniably been a city of great antiquity and a sacred
spot to the Hindus for a long time.
Valmiki's Ramayana gives the location
as on the bank of river Saryu, and describes its area, prosperity and
glory. Many puranas attest the fact that Ayodhya is considered as one
of the six holy cities, the other five being Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi,
Kanchi and Ujjain. In all the Hindu scriptures, Ayodhya figures prominently
and Shri Rama is referred to as an avatar of Vishnu.
Kalidasa, the greatest classical poet
and dramatist, gives a narrative of Vishnu's incarnation on earth as Shri
Rama. There is not a single important poet or writer in classical Sanskrit
literature who has not paid his best obeisance to Shri Rama in one form
or another.
For the last two millennia, the tradition
of veneration to Shri Rama has existed in the Hindu society in one form
or another. The earliest known inscription to testify to this is found
in the Nashik cave inscription dating back to 150 AD. The evolution of
the tradition of Shri Rama worship at least from 300 AD is established
by the early shrines surviving at ancient Ramgiri hills, 30 kms from Nagpur.
Paintings depicting episodes of Shri Rama's life have adorned the walls
of numerous temples in India and outside - from the famous Deogarh temple
in Madhya Pradesh to Angkor Vat in Cambodia. The Grand Palace in Bangkok
has a pictorial depiction of the complete Ramayan along the inner part
of the compound wall.
The merits of a devote observing the vow
on Ramnavami (the day Shri Rama was born) has been described in Ayodhya-Mahatmya
in the following words: "A man who has seen the Janmasthana will not be
born again even if he does not offer gifts, practise asceticism, goes
on pilgrimages or make sacrifice-offerings. A man observing the vow world
will be liberated from the bondages of rebirth on arrival of the Navami
day because of the miraculous power of a bath and a gift. By seeing the
Shri Rama Janmabhoomi he shall obtain the result that occurs to one who
gives away a thousand red cows day after day."
The second part dealt with the Muslim
testimony. Numerous Muslim writers have written detailed accounts of the
regional history of Awadh since the 17th century. Based on older authentic
contemporary sources of various nature, they aver to the fact that the
temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi was demolished and a mosque constructed
in its place. Some of these writers were residents of Awadh. We give below
five the twelve Muslim testimonies that were given as part of the evidence
in December 1990.
In Safiha-i Chahal Nasaih Bahadur Shahi,
written during the late 17th and early 18th century by the daughter of
Bahadur Shah Alamgir, it is stated as follows: "The places of worship
of the Hindus situated at Mathura, Banaras and Awadh, etc., in which the
Hindus have great faith - the place of the birthplace of Kanhaiya, the
place of Rasoi Sita, the place of Hanuman, who, according to the Hindus,
was seated by Ram Chandra over there after the conquest of Lanka - were
all demolished for the strength of Islam, and at all these places mosques
have been constructed."
Mirza Jan, in Hadiqa-i-Shahada
(1856), says, "The past Sultans encouraged the propagation and glorification
of Islam and crushed the forces of the unbelievers, the Hindus. Similarly,
Faizabad and Awadh were also purged of this mean practice of kufr.
(Awadh) was a great worshipping centre and the capital of (the kingdom
of) Rama's father.... The temple of Janmasthan was the original birthplace
of Ram, adjacent to which is Sita ki Rasoi..... Hence at that site,
a lofty mosque has been built by Babar Badshah under the guidance of Musa
Ashikan."
The Urdu novelist Mirza Rajab Ali Beg
Surur (1787-1867), in Fasana-i Ibrat, says, "During the reign of
Babar Badshah, a magnificent mosque was constructed in Awadh at a place
which is associated with Sita ki Rasoi. This was the Babri mosque."
The Tarikh-i Awadh by Sheikh Mohammed
Azmat Ali Kakorwai Nami (1869) states, "Awadh was the capital of the father
of Laxman and Ram. There, under the guidance of Musa Ashikan, a magnificent
Babri mosque was constructed at the site of the temple within the premises
of Janmasthan." In another book by the same title, but written by Alama
Muhammad Najamulghani Khan Rampuri (1909), it is stated, "Babar built
a magnificent mosque at the spot where the temple of Janmasthan of Ramchandra
was situated at Ayodhya."
In 1977, an English translation of Hindustan
Islami Ahad Mein by Maulana Hakim Sayid Abdul Hai (d. 1923), was published
by his son, Maulana Abdul Hasan Nadwi, alias Ali Mian. The book contains
a chapter "The Mosques of Hindusthan", giving at least six instances of
construction of the mosques on the very sites of the Hindu temples demolished
by the Muslim rulers during the 12th-17th centuries. As regards, the Babri
structure, he writes, "This mosque was constructed by Babar at Ayodhya
which the Hindus call the birthplace of Ram Chanderji."
In the third part, European records were
produced which attest to the holiness of the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi site
and the destruction of a temple in 1528 AD. William finch, a European
traveller (1608-11), confirms the existence of the ruins of Ramkot, the
castle of Shri Rama, where Hindus believe he was born. Joseph Tieffenthaler,
the Austrian Jesuit priest (1766-71), reports that Babur destroyed the
Shri Rama Janmabhoomi temple and constructed a mosque using some of its
pillars. He also wrote that Hindus refused to give up worship at the place,
in spite of the Muslim efforts to prevent them. He noted the existence
of the Ram Chabootra in the courtyard of the Babri structure, and celebration
of Ram Navmi with great gatherings of people from all over India.
All the British official records have
accepted the ancient Hindu belief of the holiness of Shri Rama Janmabhoomi
site and the destruction of a temple there. These records also mention
that the Babri structure was built after the destruction, and many specifically
mention the use of the pillars from the destroyed temple.
The Archaeological Survey of India (1934)
identified all the holy sites of Ayodhya with reference to the ancient
texts, numbered them and put up sign posts in stone to mark the sites.
The Babri structure was identified as the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi and a
signpost was embedded there saying: "Site no. 1: Janmabhoomi".
The court verdict of 1886 has been discussed
in details as answer to question number fourteen, and what is said in
Babur Nama (from the English translation by Annette Beveridge) has been
discussed in question numbers seven and eight. The Encyclopaedia Brittanica
(1978, 15th edition, Vol 1) records that a mosque erected by Babur in
1528, on the site of an earlier temple, marks Shri Rama's birthplace.
Hans Bakker, the Dutch scholar, in his
comprehensive study entitled "Ayodhya" (1984) has categorically accepted
that an old Vaishnava temple was situated on the holy spot where Hindus
believe Shri Rama was born. Bakker also says that this Janmabhoomi temple
was destroyed by Babur in 1528 AD and replaced with the Babri structure.
Fourteen black-stone pillars from the temple were utilised by Mir Baqi
in the construction of the mosque.
In the fourth part, the revenue records,
Kot Ram Chandra, the residential headquarters of Shri Rama has been shown
quite distinct from the city of Ayodhya. In the records, Janmasthan, a
large complex serves as a land mark in Kot Ram Chandra.
In the final part, the evidence with respect
to archaeological records is presented. In the period 1975-80, the Archaeological
Survey of India undertook a project to study the various sites mentioned
in the Ramayana. The combined evidence shows that there did exist a historical
basis for the Ramayana. Excavations were also done at two places around
the Babri structure. They established the existence of pillar bases outside
the structure, which were aligned in the same direction as the pillars
in the structure, and the distance between the bases outside and the pillars
inside were the same. These excavations also showed that the site was
occupied prior to 7th century BC, that is for nearly 3000 years. The pillars
that were present in the Babri structure had distinctive Hindu features,
establishing the existence of a temple prior to the construction of the
Babri structure.
Two Hindu structures of importance that
existed within the Babri structure were the Ram Chabootra and Sita-ki-Rasoi.
The former was a small raised platform, with a canopy, where constant
prayers for Lord Ram were being conducted. Joseph Tiffenthaler, the Austrian
Jesuit priest, who stayed in Awadh in 1766-71 reported that the Hindus
had constructed the Ram Chabootra in the Babri structure's courtyard.
He also reported that the Hindus practised their devotion at the Chabootra,
and continued to celebrate Ram Navami with great gatherings of people
from all over India. This clearly shows the importance of the site to
the Hindus, and they were willing to take huge risks to establish their
presence. Please also see the answer to question number ten.
The demolition of the Babri structure
on December 6, 1992, brought to light a great deal of archaeological material
from within the thick walls of the Babri structure. Besides sculptured
panels and images, architectural components such as amalaka, sikharas,
doorjambs, etc., it included three inscriptions on stone. The largest
one, inscribed on a 1.10x.56 meter slab and consisting of 20 engraved
lines, has been published by Professor Ajaya Mitra Shastri of Nagpur University
in the Puratattva (a reputed scholarly journal of the Indian Archaeological
Society), No. 23 (1992-93), pp. 35 ff. (Professor Shastri is a distinguished
historian and a specialist in epigraphy and numismatics.) The relevant
part of his paper reads its follows:
"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
clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps
of stone (sila-sam hati-grahais) and beautified with a golden spire (hiranya-kalasa-srisundaram)
unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings (purvvuirapyakritam
kritam nripatibhir) was constructed. This wonderful temple (aty-adhutam)
was built in the temple-city (vibudh- alayni) of Ayodhya situated in the
Saketamandala (district, line 17) showing that Ayodhya and Saketa were
closely connected. Saketa being the district of which Ayodhya was a part.
Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali (apparently in the
Vamana manifestation) and the ten-headed personage (Dasanana i.e. Ravana)."
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