A Timeline of Ayodhya Timeline, by Nicole Elfi & Michel Danino

8/10/2019 A Timeline of Ayodhya Timeline, by Nicole Elfi & Michel Danino

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ATIMELINE OF AYODHY

Nicole Elfi & Michel Danino

Paper presented at a Conference on the Ramayana in Literature, Society and the Arts

organized by the C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar Foundation on February 1 & 2, 2013, Chennai and

published in its Proceedings (CPR Publications, Chennai, 2014, pp. 80118).

Ayodhy, also known as Avadh, Audh or Oudh, and variously spelt Ajodhy, Ayojjh or

Ayudh, is a city in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated on the bank of the

river SarayGharghara, modern Ghghr or Gogr (Bhattacharyya 1999: 80).

Ayodhy is one of Indias seven sacred cities, an ancient seat of learning and anage-old pilgrimage destination. In Buddhist or Jain texts the site is referred to as Sketa,

sometimes Vinta, by which is meant, as in the Rmyaa, the capital of the country of

Kosala, one of the sixteen Mahjanapadas or proto-republics of the Ganges civilization.

In Buddhist, Jain, Epic and Puric literatures, Ayodhy is known as the great city of the

Ikvkus, a line of kings of the solar dynasty. The Buddha is said to have stayed there for

several years. According to Jain tradition, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 14thTrthakaras were

born at Ayodhy into the Ikvku line.

So was Rma, considered the very incarnation of dharma and the heart of theRmyaaepic, which paints a glorious picture of Ayodhy. Much of what follows applies

to the spot traditionally associated by Hindus with his birthplace, or Rm Janmabhmi;

located within an area known as Rmkot (Rmas fort), it towers over the rest of the

city. Having seen at some point of time the construction of a mosque known as Babri

Masjid, this spot has been for centuries a bone of contention between Hindus and

Muslims (we will often refer to it as disputed site).

This paper, the first draft of a work in progress, attempts till the close of the 19 th

century to collate in chronological order what several disciplines archaeology,epigraphy and history in particular have contributed to our knowledge of this ancient

city, allowing important stages and events to unfold before our eyes.

Religious literature is of little help in this effort, in view of the near-impossibility

of securely dating the texts. The Skanda-Pura, for instance, asserts that One who visits

Ayodhya the way enjoined sheds all ones sins and finds ones abode in the house of Hari

(Hari-mandira). ... For one who takes bath in the Svargadvra and visits the Rma temple

(Rmlaya) nothing remains to be done here and he has fulfilled his duty. (Skanda-Pura


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A Timeline of Ayodhy / p. 2

II, Vaiava-Khaa (2), Badarikrama-Mhtmya (3) 1.24) The text also refers to

Rmjanmasthna once, janmasthna twice, and Janmabhmi twice. (Skanda-Purna II,

Vaiava-Khaa (2), Ayodhy-Mhtmya (8) 10.18, 19, 22, both references from Narain

1993: 12) But as these important references could have been composed at any timebetween the Gupta and the early medieval eras, we cannot use them for our purpose.

As regards archaeology, surveys and excavations at Ayodhy have been carried

out on several occasions since the 19th century: Alexander Cunningham, first director-

general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), conducted a survey of the region in

186263. A.K. Narain of Banaras Hindu University excavated Ayodhy by laying three

trenches at three different sites considerably away from the disputed temple-mosque in

1969 and 1970. Later, from 1975 to 1980, B.B. Lal, a former Director-General of the ASI,

laid 14 trenches including one at the disputed site as part of a large Central Governmentproject, Archaeology of the Rmayaa Sites. (Narain 1993: 48) Finally, from 12thMarch

to 7thAugust 2003, following the directions of the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench,

90 trenches were excavated (Sharma 2011: 46).

The 2003 excavations brought to light nine distinct periods:

Period I: Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), c. 1300300 BCE

Period II: Shunga period, 2nd1stcentury BCE

Period III: Kushan period, 1st

3rd

century CE Period IV: Gupta period, 4th6thcentury CE

Period V: Post-Gupta to Rajput period, 7th10thcentury CE

Period VI: Early medieval period, 11th12thcentury CE

Period VII: Medieval-Sultanate period, 12th16thcentury CE

Period VIII: Mughal period

Period IX: Late and post-Mughal period

The senior archaeologist A.K. Sharma summarizes the stratigraphical aspect of the

findings thus:

At the site in question right from the virgin soil, beginning with the

circular Shiva Shrine [in Period V] up to the working floor of the disputed

structure [the Babri Masjid], only religious structural remains associated with

antiquities of religious nature have been found. The continuous nature of 10.80

metre thick deposit accounts for nine cultural periods beginning from N.B.P.

level of 6

th

Century B.C. to 15

th

Century A.D. and clearly indicates that the site


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was never abandoned and was never used for habitational purpose. When one

temple fell into disuse either due to natural calamity or natural decay,

immediately new religious structure was raised. ... At the site there is no

stratigraphical gap or any hiatus. (Sharma 2011: 38, italics ours)

Notes: We have not used diacritical marks for contemporary names of places or persons.

We have left the usage of quoted authors unchanged as far as spelling, diacritical marks

and punctuation are concerned, but have sometimes silently corrected grammatical or

punctuation errors (especially in quotations from the 2003 judgements of the Allahabad

High Court). Events are usually entered under their dates, while general statements made

by various authors are normally entered under their dates of publication.

*


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( 2010 ).

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Timeline

1250300 BCE The ancient mound covers about a square kilometre (Dikshit 2003: 114),

with a cultural deposit of 10.80 m divided into nine periods, testifying to

a continuous occupation (Sharma 2011: 26).

Period I (2003 excavations): The human activity at the [Ram

JanmabhumiBabri Masjid] site dates back to circa thirteenth century

B.C. on the basis of the scientific dating method providing the only

archaeological evidence of such an early date of the occupation of the

site. (Sharma 2011: 48)

People using Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW), a pottery type

generally associated with the urbanization of the Ganges plains, were thefirst occupants of the site in Ayodhy. Given the limited extent of the

excavations, no structural remains have come to light; among the recent

finds are terracotta figurines of female deities with archaic features,

beads of terracotta and glass, wheels and fragments of votive tanks, and

a round signet with a legend in Aokan Brhm.

2nd1stc. BCE Period II(2003 excavations):The Shunga period: Ayodhy is conquered

by the Shungas with the assistance of Indo-Greeks in 190 BCE. Finds

include terracotta mother goddess, human and animal figurines, beads,hairpins, engravers, and a pottery collection including black slipped, red

and grey wares. A stone-and-brick structure marks the beginning of the

structural activity at the site (Sharma 2011: 46).

During excavation the remains of one primary and two secondary

shrines which formed part of the whole Hindu temple complex, were

found. ... By primary temple, I mean the main Deity to which the

structure is dedicated. Structurally some walls have been found even

in 1st

2nd

century B.C. thus the primary temple structure was at a lowerlevel whereas the secondary temple structure was at upper level. The

primary temple structure can be ascribed to 1st2ndcentury B.C. (the

Indian archaeologist and epigraphist R. Nagaswamys testimony of 2006,

recorded in Sharma 2010, Annexure III: 17273)


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2nd-1stc. BCE Kaumb (modern Kosam, Allahabad

district, Uttar Pradesh): A terracotta

figure depicts Rvaa carrying away St;

she drops down her ornaments in thehope that they will help in tracing her

(Lal 2008: 36).

1stc. CE A Tibetan text refers to the conquest of

Sketa by the Kushan king Kanishka.

1st3rdc. CE Period III (2003 excavations): The

Kushan period, with the creation of

large-size structures (Sharma 2011: 47).

In 1992 a team of archaeologists

including Y.D. Sharma, K.M. Srivastava

and S.P. Gupta found, at the eastern

periphery of the disputed site, the remains of at least three rammed

floors datable to three different phases, one going back to the Kushan

period, as well as two walls built of several courses of burnt bricks, and a

number of terracotta images of gods and goddesses of the same period

(Gupta 1995: 113).

From Period III to Period IX there were non-residential structural

activities of large dimension in the area. (Sharma 2011: 26)

131-159 CE The Nasik (Maharashtra) cave inscription of the 19th regnal year of the

Stavhana king Vsishhputra Puumvi eulogizes the kings father,

Gautamputra Stakarni, whom it compares to Nbhga, Nahua,

Janamejaya, Sagara, Yayti, Rma and Ambara in strength and

splendour (Sircar 1980: 325-326, quoted in Jain 2013: 69).

Mid 2ndc. CE Kaumb: An inscription on a stone slab records some pious actperformed by a ghapati [householder] along with his son in

connection with Bhagavat (God) Rma-Nryaa. The adjective Bhagavat

being in genitive singular, it is apparent that the intention was probably

to record the erection of a shrine of the god or installation of his image

or some emblem. (Shukla 1990: 207-12) According to the late

epigraphist Ajay Mitra Shastri, Although the date is lost irretrievably,

the palaeographic features, the mode of dating and the employment of

Prakrit clearly show that the inscription belongs to about the middle of


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the second century AD. This record is of inestimable value despite its

highly damaged condition for the history of the Rma cult. (Shastri

1993: 36)

The Alexandrian astronomer, mathematician and geographer Ptolemymakes a mention of Ayodhy in his Outline of Geography, under the name

of Sagda (Sketa).

3rdc. CE Nachara Khera (Haryana): A terracotta

figurine believed to have come from

here (currently in the Los Angeles

County Museum of Art, USA) portrays

Rma, whose name is inscribed in

Brhm characters of the 3rd century CE

(Lal 2008: 37).

Ngrjunako (Andhra Pradesh): A

stone panel depicts Bharatas meeting

with Rma at Chitraka (Banerjee 1986,

vol. II, pl. 77, reproduced in Lal 2008: 41).

3rd4thc. CE Bagh(Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh): A

copper-plate of Mahrja Bhulundaregisters the grant of five villages for

the performance of the rites called bali, charu and sattra of the god

Vishnu who had broken the pride of Bali, Naraka, Namuchi, the Kei

horse, the Kliya snake, Daavadana (the Ten-headed, Rvaa), Kasa,

Chra, Arish and Siupla, who as Varha (Boar incarnation)

retrieved the lost earth (Shastri 19921993: 36, with reference to

Ramesh & Tewari 1990). The mention of Rvaa, killed by the divinised

hero Rma, leads Ajay Mitra Shastri to conclude that by the thirdquarter of the fourth century A.D.,Rma had been completely identified

with Vishu. (Shastri 19921993: 23, 36, 39)

4thc. CE Nachara Khera (Haryana): Several inscribed terracotta panels

ascribable to the 4thc. CEdepict scenes from the Rmyaa (two of them

reproduced in Lal 2008: 3839).

4thto 6thc. Period IV (2003 excavations): Finds of ... typical terracotta figurines

and a copper coin with the legend Sri Chandra (Gupta) and illustrative

potsherds. (Sharma 2011: 46)


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423 CE Inscription of the Aulikara ruler Vivavarman, in Gangdhar (Jhalawar

District, Rajasthan), describes the king as a standard of comparison even

for Rma and Bhagratha (Sircar 1979: 29, quoted in Jain 2013: 69).

5thc. Nachana-Kuthara (Madhya Pradesh): A stone panel depicts Rvaa,disguised as an ascetic, at Sts cottage in Pachavat (reproduced in Lal

2008: 38-39).

The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Fa-Hien(Faxian) visited Ayodhya.

6thc. Varhamihira in Bhat Samhit (57.30) spells out the respective heights

(in agulas or digits) for various statues of gods; Rma is listed among the

tallest images, which confirms the importance of his cult by that time:

Both Sri Rma, son of Daaratha, and Bali, son of Virochana, should bemade 120 digits high. The heights of other images, superior, medium and

inferior ones, are less by 12 digits in succession, i.e. 108, 96 and 84 digits

in order. (Bhat 1982: 556)

c. 636 The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hsan-tsang (Xuanzang) visits A-yu-to,

identified with Ayodhy; he mentions the existence of over 100 Buddhist

monasteries and 3,000 monks, who were students of Mahyna and

Hnayna, and ten deva temples; according to him, the non-Buddhists

were few in number. (Law 1967: 77)7th8thc. Ppantha temple (Pattadakala, Karnataka): A stone panel depicts the

construction of a bridge over the sea (reproduced in Lal 2008: 42).

7th10thc. The circular shrine. Period V (2003 excavations): This is the post-

Gupta to Rajput period, during which structures are mainly

constructed of burnt bricks. Among them was found a small circular

shrine (about 1.5 x 1.5 m), with a square inner chamber, an entrance

from the east and a provision for a pralaor water chute in the north,

which is a distinct feature of contemporary temples already knownfrom the Ganga-Yamuna plain. (Sharma 2011: 32, 46-47)

The existence of a circular shrine withpralatowards north proves the

existence of a Hindu temple. ... As this seems to be a secondary shrine

dedicated to Shiva in his liga form, the shrine is built to smaller

dimensions. Smaller dimensions of subsidiary shrines with just

minimum entrance space are seen in some temples ... [This shrine]

proves beyond doubt the existence of a Hindu temple under the surface


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of the disputed structure. (R. Nagaswamys testimony of 2006, quoted in

Sharma 2010, Annexure III: 16667)

, .

75253 Kku plate inscription (Tamil Nadu): One of the predecessors of

Nandivarman, namely Narasihavarman, is mentioned as having

surpassed the glory of the valour of Rma by (his) conquest of Laka.

Again (in verse 29), Nandivarman himself is stated to resemble Rma inarchery. (Lal 2008: 1)

9thc. Prmbanam temple(Indonesia): A stone panel depicts the subduing of

the sea by Rma (reproduced in Lal 2008: 47).

950 Sri Kalyana Varadaraja Perumal temple (Paruthiyur, Thanjavur

district, Tamil Nadu): one of the oldest icons of Rma in the form of an

early Chola bronze statue (Bakker 1986: I-65, quoted in Sharma 2010,

Annexure IV: 18).950970 Jaina temple of Prvantha in Khajuraho: Two images of Rma are

depicted on the outer wall. The first one represents Rma holding the

bow and arrow; the other shows him with four arms, holding the arrow

... in his upper right and lower left hand, with his lower right hand

blessing Hanumat and his upper left hand embracing Sita. (Bakker 1986:

1-63, quoted in Sharma 2010, Annexure IV: 17).

11thc. In Cambodia, construction of the Angkor Wat templewith many stone

panels depicting scenes from the Mahbhrata and the Rmyaa.


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1030-1080 The site was attacked by iconoclasts in the 11th century, once around

1030 CEand again around 1080 CE; the idols suffered and disappeared. No

icons have been left in the site except a mutilated sculpture called Divine

Couple. (R. Nagaswamys testimony of 2006, quoted in Sharma 2010,Annexure III: 179)

1033 Slr Masds attack on Ayodhy. Sayyad Slr Masad was the son

of Slr Sh, one of the generals of Sultan Mahmd [of Ghazni] and of

Sitr Mualla, own sister of that conqueror. He was born in the year 1015

A.D., and passed his youth in the field, accompanying his father and his

uncle in the victorious campaigns which time after time laid waste the

northwest of India and made Mahmd its master, though not its

possessor. ... [Later] Sayyad Slr, inspired by martial and religiousfervour, begged to be allowed to carry the sword and Islm into the

interior of Hindustan. ...

After ten days march the invader [Sayyad Slr Masad] reached

Satrikh, which is said at that time to have been the most flourishing of

all towns and cities of India. It was moreover a sacred shrine of the

Hindus and abounded in good hunting grounds. This place has been

identified with Satrikh in the Bara Banki district, but its description

tallies better with Ajodhya, the old name of which is Vesakh. Here SlrMasad fixed his head-quarters, sending out his lieutenants on every

side to proselytize and conquer the country. ...

The date of arrival in Bahraich1is fixed as the 17thof Shbn in the year

423 H. = 1033 A.D. In the neighbourhood of Bahraich there was a tank

with an image of the sun on its banks, a shrine sacred in the eyes of all

the unbelievers, and Masad, whenever he passed by it, was wont to say

that he would like to have the spot for a dwelling place, when he would,

if it pleased God, through the power of the spiritual sun, destroy theworship of the material.

The Res [rjas] of the country who were at first daunted by the

presence of the young warrior gradually took heart and assembled in

force on the banks of the river Kosla. This was probably the Kaurila, in

the direction of which stream the Hindus would naturally retire before a

1Bahraich is a city some 100 km northwest of Faizabad/Ayodhya.


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foe advancing from Ajodhya. Masad defeated them there, time after

time, until the arrival of Sohar-Deo or Suhel-Deo in the unbelievers

camp turned the tide of battle in their favour. They now closed in on

Masads quarters at Bahraich, and on the 18thday of the month Rajjab-ul-Murajjab in the year 424 H. = 1034 A.D., the Prince of Martyrs fell with

all his followers. (Gazetteer of the Province of Oudh, 1877: 11113)

109293 Chandradevas visit to Ayodhy. The Chandrvat plates of the

Ghaavla king Chandradeva, dated V.S. 1150 (A.D. 109293), inform us

that the king visited Ayodhy and performed various rites, including the

worship of god Vsudeva, i.e. Vishu. (Shastri 199293: 37)

1184 More epigraphic evidence. The German Indologist and expert on

Ayodhy,Hans T. Bakker, notes another inscription of the same period

has been noted: About 250 m to the south-east of the Svargadvara

mosque is [the] ruin of another masjid very similar to the former. The

two mosques stand symmetrically on both sides of the main bathing

ghats, which are collectively called Svargadvara. The eastern mosque,

built at the same time as the other one, replaces an old Visnu temple

built by the last Gahadavala king Jayacandra in AD 1184. An inscription

found in the ruins of the mosque testifies to the construction of this

Vaisnava temple. (Bakker 1986: 5254, quoted in Sharma 2010,Annexure IV, p. 14)

This is a description of the above inscription by the nineteenth-century

the German archaeologist A. Fhrer: Inscription No. XLIV is written in

twenty incomplete lines on a white sandstone, broken off at either end,

and split in two parts in the middle. It is dated Savat 1241, or A.D. 1184,

in the time of Jayachchhandra of Kanauj, whose praises it records for

erecting a Vaishava temple, from whence this stone was originally

brought and appropriated by Aurangzb in building his masjid known asTret-k-Thkur. The original slab was discovered in the ruins of this

Masjid, and is now in the Faizbd Local Museum. (Fhrer 1889: 68)

(This inscription is now in the possession of the State Museum,

Lucknow.) Bakker explains that Tret-k-Thkur derives from the

Sanskrit Tretntha, i.e. Lord of the Tretyuga or Rma.

Bakker sums up: In conclusion we may say that there is evidence for the

existence of five Visnu temples in Ayodhya in the twelfth century: 1)


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Harismrti (Guptahari) at the Gopratara ghat, 2) Visnuhari at the

Cakratirtha, 3) Candrahari on the west side of the Svargadvara ghats, 4)

Dharmahari on the east side of the Svargadvara ghats, 5) a Visnu temple

on the Janmabhumi. Three of these temples have been replaced bymosques and one was swept away by the Sarayu. The fate of the fifth is

unknown but the site is occupied today by a new Guptahari/Cakrahari

temple. (Bakker, 1986: 52-54, quoted in Sharma 2010, Annexure IV, pp.

1516)

1194 Shahabuddins question. Ayodhya was under attack by the Afghans

throughout the 11thand 12thcentury and was finally taken in 1194 A.D.,

writes Muslim scholar and former MP Syed Shahabuddin; Assuming

that the local dynasty had constructed a temple on the site where BabriMasjid stands, how did the Mandir survive the fanatical zeal of the

Afghans and the Turks for nearly 350 years? (Shahabuddin1990)

An answer to this question arises in the course of a debate in the Indian

Express, where late Abhas Chatterjee, former Indian Civil Servant, scholar

and social worker, explains that History is replete with instances of

famous Hindu temples like those at Kashi, Mathura, Hardwar, Ayodhya,

and Delhi which were destroyed by Aurangzeb late in the seventeenth

century. How had these temples survived the earlier Muslim rulers? The simple historical fact is that many Hindu shrines survived Muslim

rule for varying periods until they were eventually destroyed and some

escaped destruction till the end. (Chatterjee1990, in Goel 1998: 193-95)

10th 12thc. The late archaeologist S.P. Gupta records how in July 1992 a team of

archaeologists from ASI went to examine the 40 and odd art and

architectural fragments of an ancient Hindu temple which had been

found in an ancient pit by the officials of the Government of Uttar

Pradesh who were engaged in levelling the ground on the eastern andthe southern flanks of the Rmajanmabhmi. The team found that the

objects were datable to the period ranging from 10th through the 12th

century AD, i.e., of the Late Pratiharas and Early Gahadvals. These

objects included a number of malakas, i.e. the cogged-wheel type

architectural element which crown the bhmi shikharas or spires of

subsidiary shrines, as well as the top of the spire of the main shikharaor

pyramidal structure built over the garbha-grihaor sanctum sanctorum, in

which the image of the principal deity is kept and worshipped.... [They]


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There is sufficient proof of existence of a massive and monumental

structure having a minimum dimension of 50 x 30 m in north-south and

east-west directions respectively just below the disputed structure. In

course of present excavations nearly 50 pillar bases with brickbatfoundation, below calcrete blocks topped by sandstone blocks were

found. The pillar bases exposed during the present excavation in

northern and southern areas also give an idea of the length of the

massive wall of the earlier construction with which they are associated

and which might have been originally around 60 m (of which the 50 m

length is available at present). The centre of the central chamber of the

disputed structure falls just over the central point of the length of the

massive wall of the preceding period which could not be excavated dueto presence of Ram Lala at the spot in the make-shift structure [i.e., the

makeshift temple erected after the demolition of the disputed structure].

This area is roughly 15 x 15 m on the raised platform. Towards east of

this central point a circular depression with projection on the west, cut

into the large sized brick pavement, signify the place where some

important object was placed. ... The area below the disputed site thus

remained a place for public use for a long time till the period VIII

(Mughal level) when the disputed structure was built which was

confined to a limited area ... (Sharma 2011: 47)

There has been continuous building activity in 11thcentury when a big

temple structure was erected which consisted of all the important parts

of temple architecture found in North India (R. Nagaswamys

testimony of 2006, quoted in Sharma 2010, Annexure III: 17071)

11th - 12thc. Epigraphic evidence. The Indian History and Culture Society arranged

a three-day (10th13thOctober 1992) all-India workshop and seminar on

Archaeology and History of Ayodhya, [which] was attended by 40delegates [The scholars] added at least two more and most vital pieces

of archaeological evidence one, epigraphical and second,

architectural. The former ... is the letter si found engraved on the top

portion of the black stone pillar fixed on the outer left side of the main

entrance to the central domed-room. Palaeographically, it is in the

Nagari script of 11th-12th century AD. In Sanskrit it stands for Shr, the

Goddess Lakshmi. ... A year later, a similar black stone-pillar inscribed


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with the same letter (si) in the same location of the pillar, the capital,

was found re-erected in a small triangular park [nearby].

The architectural evidence came to light in the form of a fragmentary

wall over which ran the outer boundary wall of the disputed structure. Itmeans that the Muslims used a part of the temple wall to build the

boundary wall of the mosque. (Gupta 1995: 11617)

Among the stone pieces with carvings found after demolition of the

disputed structure, on 6 December 1992, three had inscriptions in Nagari

script of the 11th-12thcentury: Two of these are fragmentary and datable

palaeographically to a period fifty years later than the third inscription.

These were found deeply and clearly cut and engraved on a pillar,

unfortunately found broken vertically in two parts (). These

fragmentary inscriptions bear the names of some Gods and some kings,

in genealogical sequence, and courtiers. (Gupta 1995: 118)

Mid12thc. Inscription on a stone slab. The third inscription, running in as

many as 20 lines, is found engraved on a 5ft. long, 2ft. broad and 2.5

inches thick slab of buff sandstone, apparently a very heavy tablet

Three-fourths of the first line is found obliterated anciently. The last line

is also not complete since it was anciently subjected to chipping off. A

portion of the central part is found battered, maybe some one tried to

deface it anciently. The patination is, however, uniform all over the

surface ... (Gupta 1995: 118-119)

According to Ajay Mitra Shastri, The inscription is composed in high-

flown Sanskrit verse, except for a very small portion in prose, and is

engraved in the chaste and classical Ngar script of the eleventh-twelfth

century A.D. It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the

construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. (Shastri199293: 37)

Another respected epigraphist, K.V. Ramesh, states: The inscription is

not in any way dated, but may be assigned, with confidence, to the

middle of the 12th century on palaeographical grounds as well as the

internal evidence provided by the inscriptional text in question. The

most important internal historical information we get from this

epigraph is the mention of Govindachandra, obviously of the Gahadavala


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dynasty, who ruled over a fairly vast empire from 1114 to 1155 A.D.

(Ramesh 20022003: 98)

, 12

A few readings from this inscription make it clear that it was part of a

magnificent temple located at Ayodhy and dedicated to Rma (called

Viu-Hari but identifiable as the destroyer of Rvaa):

By him, who was meditating in his mind on the earliest means ofquickly jumping across the ocean of worldly attachments, was erected

this beautiful temple of Viu-Hari, [on a scale] never before done by the

preceding kings, compactly formed [i.e., built] with rows of large and

lofty stones which have been sculpted out. (Line 14-15, verse 21)

By him, who was of good conduct, and abhorred strife, while residing at

Ayodhy, which had towering abodes, intellectuals and temples, Sketa-

Maala1was endowed with thousands of wells, reservoirs, alms-houses,

tanks. (Line 17, verse 24)

Separating [the demon] Hirayakaipu from his skeleton, subduing [the

demon] Ba in battle, tearing asunder the arms of the [demon-] king

Bali, and performing many valorous deeds, having killed the evil ten-

headed [Danana, i.e. Rvana] ... (Line 18-19, verse 27)

1 Maala here refers to an administrative division of those times. Sketa-Maala probably refers to

such a division centred on Ayodhy.


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And now, the fierce arms of the ruler annihilate even the fear caused by

the western [i.e., the Islamic invaders from the west]. (Line 19-20, verse

28) (Ramesh 20022003: 103).

c. 1500 Guru Nnaks visit to Ayodhya.According to Bh Mani Singhs Poth

Janam Skh of 1730, Guru Nnak visited Ayodhy and said to his Muslim

disciple Mardn: Mardn! This Ayodhy city belongs to ri

Rmachandra J. Therefore, let us have its darana. (Bh Mani Singh,

quoted in Narain 1993: 14) Again, according to Bh Bl Wl Janam Skh

composed in 1883, the Sikh Guru said: Bh Bl! This city belongs to

r Rmachandra J. Here r Rmachandra J took incarnation and

performed (human) deeds. Therefore, walk with caution. (Bh Bl Wl

Janam Skh, quoted in Narain 1993: 15) A third account is found in BbSukhbs Rm Beds Guru Nnak Ban Praksha of 1829: Guru Nnak left

the place with Mardna and reached Ayodhy by which the Saray river

flows. After bathing in the Saray, he gazed at Rma for darana and

then left overjoyed and earning his merit. (Quoted in Narain 1993: 15)

This implies that a temple to Rma still existed early in the 16thcentury.

Early 16thc. Destruction of a temple of classic north Indian style. Period VIII

(2003 excavations):It was over the top of this construction [the temple

of Period VI] during the early sixteenth century A.D. that the disputed

structure [the Bbr mosque] was constructed directly resting over it.

(Sharma 2011: 47)

The Honble High Court, in order to get sufficient archaeological

evidence on the issue involved whether there was any temple/structure

which was demolished and mosque was constructed on the disputed

site, ... had given directions to the Archaeological Survey of India to

excavate where the Ground Penetration Radar [GPR] survey hassuggested evidence of anomalies which could be structure, pillars,

foundation walls, slab flooring etc. which could be confirmed by

excavation. Now, viewing in totality and taking into account the

archaeological evidence of a massive structure just below the disputed

structure and evidence of continuity in structural phases from the 10th

century onwards up to the construction of the disputed structure along

with the yield of stone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated

sculpture of divine couple and carved architectural members including


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foliage patterns, amalaka[a fruit motif], kapotapalidoorjamb with semi-

circular pilaster, broken octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus

motif, circular shrine having parnala (waterchute) in the north, fifty

pillar bases in association of the huge structure, are indicative ofremains which are distinctive features found associated with the temples

of north India. (Sharma 2011: 48)

1528 The Bbr Masjid. An inscription in Persian on an inner wall of the

Bbr Masjid read: By order of King Bbar whose justice is an edifice

meeting the palace and the sky, this descending place of angels was built

by the fortune-favoured noble Mr Bq. The inscription was dated 935

A.H. or 1528 (Narain 1993: 22). Another inscription in Persian, also

within the Masjid, yields a similar content as far as the mosquesconstruction is concerned (Narain 1993: 20).

Annette S. Beveridge, translator of the Bbur-nma, comments on this

inscription: Presumably the order for building the mosque was given

during Babur's stay in Ad (Ajodhya) in 934 AH. at which time he would

be impressed by the dignity and sanctity of the ancient Hindu shrine it

(at least in part) displaced, and like the obedient follower of Muhammad

he was in intolerance of another Faith, would regard the substitution of

a temple by a mosque as dutiful and worthy. (Beveridge 1922: lxxviii)

But in the opinion of the expert in Moghul architecture and history R.

Nath, The mosque cannot have been built by Babar or Mir Baqi, because

in their brief stay in this area they had to wage a difficult struggle

against the Pathans, and had no time for building mosques. Rather, the

earlier Muslim rulers of the area could have demolished the temple and

replaced it with the mosque. Mir Baqi at most renovated it, and does not

claim more than that this happened under Babars reign (rather than

at Babars command, though this translation is disputed). (Nath 1991summarized by Elst 1991: 11, see also Narain 1993: 59).

The Belgian Indologist and historian Koenraad Elst remarks: Whether

demolished by Shah Juran Ghori in 1194 or by Babar in 1528, the temple

became the victim of Islamic iconoclasm in either event. The site was

still taken from Hindus by Muslims, and the Hindu claim is still one for

restoration of what was once theirs. (Elst 2011: 30) He also admits the

possibility that the temple could have been demolished by a ruler in


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Itihas (histories) etc. and also the Hindu society (orthodox religion)

having faith in them. They exploit the Hindu society in different ways.

NM: Tulsds says that the Yavanas, filled with rage, burnt many

Mantras or Sahits, Upaniads and even Brhmaas (parts of Vedas),and Pura and Itihsa scriptures, after ridiculing them.

86

AHC: Goswami Tulsi Das says that forcible attempts are being made by

Muslims to expel the followers of Hinduism from their own native place

(country), forcibly divesting them of their Shikha (lock of hair on the

crown of head) and Yagyopaveet (sacrificial thread) and causing themto deviate from their religion. Tulsi Das terms this time as a hard and

harrowing one.

NM: Tulsds says that in the hard and inappropriate age, [they, the

Yavanas] forcibly made the Hindus bereft of ikh (the hair tuft) and

Stra (the sacred thread) and made them wander [as homeless people],

after which they expelled them from their country (native place).

87

AHC: Describing the barbaric attack of Babur, Goswami Ji says that he

indulged in gruesome genocide of the natives of that place (followers of

Hinduism), using sword (army).

NM: The barbaric Bbar came, with a sword in his hand, and killed

people after repeatedly calling out to them. Tulsds says that the time

was terrible.

88

AHC: Goswami Tulsi Das Ji says that countless atrocities were committed

by foolish Yavans (Mohammedans) in Awadh (Ayodhya) in and around

the summer of Samvat 1585, that is, 1528 AD (Samvat 1585- 57=1528 AD).


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NM: Tulsds says that in the Savat 1585 (1528 AD), sometime around

the summer season, the ignorant Yavanas caused disaster and sorrow in

Awadh (Ayodhy).

89

AHC: Describing the attack made by Yavans, that is, Mohammedans on

Sri Ramjanambhumi temple, Tulsi Das Ji says that after a number of

Hindus had been mercilessly killed, Sri Ram Janam Bhumi temple was

broken to make it a mosque. Looking at the ruthless killing of Hindus,

Tulsi Ji says that his heart felt aggrieved, that is, it began to weep, and on

account of incident it continues to writhe in pain.NM: Destroying the temple at Rmajanmabhmi, they constructed a

mosque. At once (or with great readiness/alacrity) they killed many

Hindus. [On thinking of this,] Tulsds cried out - Alas!

90

AHC: Seeing the mosque constructed by Mir Baqi in Awadh, that is,

Ayodhya in the wake of demolition of Sri Ram Janam Bhumi templepreceded by the grisly killing of followers of Hinduism having faith in

Rama and also seeing the bad plight of the temple of his favoured deity

Rama, the heart of Tulsi began to always cry tearfully for Raghuraj (the

most revered among the scions of the Raghu Dynasty). Being aggrieved

thereby, submitting himself to the will of Sri Rama, he shouted: O Ram !

Save ... Save...

NM: Mr Bq destroyed the temple in Awadh (Ayodhy) and the

Rmasamja (the idols Rma Pacyatana Rma, St, Bharata,Lakmaa, atrughna, Hanumn). [On thinking of this,] Tulsds cries,

beating his chest, O the best of Raghus! Protect us, protect us!

91

AHC: Tulsi Das Ji says that the mosque was constructed by the wicked

Mir Baqi after demolishing Sri Ram Janam Bhumi temple, situated in the

middle of Awadh, that is, Ayodhya.


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NM: Tulsds says that in the midst of Awadh (Ayodhy), where the

Rmajanmabhmi temple was resplendent, there the wicked and vile

Mr Bq constructed a mosque.

92

AHC: Tulsi Das Ji says that the Quran as well as Ajaan call is heard from

the holy place of Sri Ram Janam Bhumi, where discourses from Shrutis,

Vedas, Puranas, Upnishads etc. used to be always heard and which used

to be constantly reverberated with sweet sound of bells. (Verses 85 to 92

of the Tulasi Doha Shataka; AHC Jugement RJB-GM vol. IV, 525. OPW 16 p.

783-84, Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya affidavit15.7.2003; http://elegalix.allahabadhighcourt.in/elegalix/ayodhyafiles/honsaj-vol-

4.pdf)

NM: Tulsds says that where there was constant ringing of the bells and

the narrations (upakhna, from Saskta upkhyna) of the Rmyaa,

Veda and Pura, the ignorant (ajna) Yavana read (literally, did) the

Quran and the Azaan (ajna). (Yamaka figure of speech in the repetition

of ajna.)

(See Nityananda Misras post dt. 26.09.2012 on Bharatiya Vidvat Parishadegroup: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/bvparishat/X9xQiS5HhUs )

1598 Persian scholar at Akbars court,Abu al-Fazl, mentions Ayodhyin his

n-i Akbar: Ayodhy, commonly called Awadh. The distance of forty

kosto the east, and twenty to the north is regarded as sacred ground. On

the ninth of the light half of the month of Chaitra a great religious

festival is held. [Rma] was accordingly born during the Tret Yuga on

the ninth of the light half of the month of Chaitra (March-April) in the

city of Ayodhy, of Kausaly wife of Rj Daaratha. ... Awadh [Ayodhy]is one of the largest cities of India ... and it is esteemed one of the holiest

places of antiquity. It was the residence of Rmachandra who in the

Tret age combined in his own person both the spiritual supremacy and

kingly office. (Abu l-Fadl 1598: II.334, 316-37, III.182, quoted by Narain

1993: 17)


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c. 160405 Rma and St onAkbars coin.A coin minted in gold and another one

minted in silver, issued by Akbar, portray Rma and St along with their

names. (Lal 2008: 6)

1608-11 A British travellers testimony. William Finch visited Ayodhy: To

Oude [Ajodhya] a citie of ancient note, and seate of a Potan king, now

much ruined; the castle built foure hundred yeeres agoe. Heere are also

the ruines of Ranichand[s] [Rmachandra] castle and houses, which the

Indians acknowledge for the great God, saying that he tooke flesh upon

him to see the tamasha of the world. In these ruines remayne certainBramenes, who record the names of all such Indians as wash themselves

in the river running thereby; which custome, they say, hath continued

foure lackes o yeeres ... Hither resort many from all parts of India ...

(Foster 1921: 176) Foster notes that Finchs mention of a castle is a

reference to the mound known as the Rmkot or fort of Rma.

The historian Harsh Narain observes that Finch found neither Muslims

nor the mosque but only Pand-s in the Ramkot ... Hence, it appears the

Bbarmosque must then be lying deserted and in ruins and the Hindus,though in possession thereof, could not have rebuilt the temple till

then. (Narain 1993: x, 40)

1675 Sant Lladsa, in Avadhavilsa Mahkvya, describes the Rma

Janmabhmi/Janmasthna which, according to him, secures heaven for

whoever pays a visit to it. (Lladsa 1675: 11-375, 268 quoted in Narain

1993: 13)

1695-96 Sujn Ri Bhar, Aurangzebs chief secretary, author of the

Khulatu t-Tawrkh, refers to Ayodhy thus: As this city was the


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residence of king Rmchand, it is held to be one of the holiest places.

(Quoted in Narain 1993: 41) Harsh Narain comments: Sujn Ri

Bhar ... mentions the replacement of the Keshava Rai temple at

Mathura on the orders of lamgr Aurangzb but is silent about thesimilar incident at Ayodhya, although he does deal with Ayodhya and

calls it the birth-place of Rma. It appears that Aurangzb had not

tampered with the Ayodhya shrine till then. ... It appears that the Rma

temple fell a victim soon after to the forces of temple destruction let

loose by Aurangzb. (Narain 1993: 40, x)

1707 Statement of Aurangzebs granddaughter. From afa- Chihal Nai-

i Bahdurshh (the Bahdurshh Book of Forty Sermons), a Persian text

written by the daughter of Bahdurshh Shh- lam, Aurangzebs son,and cited by two Muslim medieval writers. The 25thsermon reads:

Keeping the triumph of Islam in view, devout Muslim rulers should

keep all idolaters in subjection to Islam, brook no laxity in realization of

Jizyah [a tax imposed on infidels], grant no exemption to Hindu Rja-s

from dancing attendance on d days and from waiting on foot outside

mosques till the end of prayer (namz)and discourse (khubah), and keep

in constant use for Friday and congregational prayer the mosques built

up to strengthen Islam after demolishing the temples of the idolatrousHindus situated at Mathura, Banaras and Awadh, etc., which the

wretched infidels have, according to their faith, adjudged to be the

birthplace of Kanhaiy in one case, St Raso[Sts kitchen] in another,

and Hanumns abode in a third and claim that after conquest of Lanka

Rmchandra established him there. And, as has been stressed, idol-

worship must not continue publicly, nor must the sound of bell reach

Muslim ears. (quoted in Narain 1993: 23-26)


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1717 In Jaipur (Kapad-Dwar

collection of the City

Palace Museum), a map

of Janmasthn, paintedon white cotton fabric

(Narain 1993: 18, 41, 91).

Harsh Narain remarks,

[This] shows that, in,

1717, the superstructure

comprised of three

ikhara-s (temple-spires)

had no domes but onlycorbelled ceilings

originally, in all

probability, and that the

domes and their finials

belong to the 18th

century. (Narain 1993:

41)

1735 A document carrying theseal of the Qazi of

Fyzabad mentioned that a serious riot had taken place between Hindus

and Muslims over the Masjid built by the emperor of Delhi, during the

times of Burhan-ul-Mulk Saadat Ali Khan, the first Nawab of Oudh (1707-

1736) over the possession of this mosque (quoted in Vishva Hindu

Parishad 1991: 26).

1751 Maratha documents show that one of the main objectives of Maratha

operations and policy in North India was the liberation of the sacredcities of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Prayag. In the year 1751 Maratha armies

led by Malhar rao Holkar, at the invitation of Safdarjang, the second

Nawab of Oudh, defeated the Pathan forces in Doab. Immediately after

his victory, Malhar rao Holkar requested Safdarjang to handover

Ayodhya, Kashi and Prayag to the Peshwa. (Srivastava 1954, quoted in

Vishva Hindu Parishad 1991: 26)


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1756-57 When in 1756 the third Nawab Shujauddaula invited Maratha help

against impending Afghan invasion, the Maratha agent of the Court of

Oudh demanded the transfer of these three holy places including

Ayodhya Ultimately in July 1757, Shujauddaula agreed to transfer theholy cities of Ayodhya and Kashi to the Maratha leader Raghoba. But the

transfer could not be implemented as Maratha armies got entangled in

the conquest of the Punjab ... (Vishva Hindu Parishad 1991: 26-27).

1759-60 Persian author Chhatraman (i) Ds Kyastha Rizdah, in Chihr

Gulshan, observed: Oudh is an ancient city. It is the birth-place of Rj

Rmachandra, who was one of the ten Avatra-s, that is, a perfect

manifestation of God. Sit was married to him. (Quoted in Narain 1993:

18)

1766-71 The Austrian JesuitJosephTieffenthalertravelled to India in the 1740s

and stayed on till his death, adding to his missionary activities a detailed

geographical study of the country, stayed in Awadh in 1766-71. A few

extracts from his Descriptio Indiae, chapter The Province of Oude:

Avad called Adjudea by well-read Hindus is a city of the

remotest antiquity.

Today, this city is not much populated;There was here a temple constructed on the rivers higher

bank; but Aurengzebe, always mindful of spreading the sect

of Mahomet and abhorring the Gentiles, got it demolished

and replaced by a mosque fronted by two obelisks in order to

abolish the very memory of the Hindu superstition. Another

mosque built by the Moors [Muslims] is adjacent to this one

on the eastern side.

One particularly famous place is the one called SithaRassoi [kitchen], that is to say, the table of Sitha, wife of Ram.

This place adjoins the city on the southern side and is

situated on a hillock.

Emperor Aurengzebe had the fortress called Ramkot

demolished; at the same place he constructed a Mahometan

temple with three domes. Others say that it was constructed

by Babor [Bbar]. Fourteen pillars of black stone can be seen in it,


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pointing to the location of the former fortress. Twelve of those pillars

now carry the inner arcades of the Mosque; two (of the twelve) are

located at the door of the cloister. The other two [pillars] are part of the

tomb of a certain Moor [Muslim]. People say that those pillars, or ratherthose fragments of pillars, which are artistically crafted, were brought

from the island of Lanca [Lanka] or Selendip [Serendip] (called Ceylan by

Europeans) by Hanumann, King of the Monkeys.

On the left is seen a square bin raised 5 inches above ground and coated

with lime about 5 aulnes long and at most 4 aulnes wide [i.e. about 6 x

4.5 metres]. The Hindus name it Bedi, that is to say, the Crib.1The reason

is that here was once a house where Beschan [Vishnu] was born,

appearing under the person of Ram, and where his three brothers arealso said to have been born. Afterwards Aurengzebe, or, according to

others, Babor, got this place razed in order to deprive the Gentiles of the

opportunity to practise their superstitions; nevertheless they continue to

offer a superstitious cult at both placesnamely, at the house where Ram

was born by doing three circumambulations while prostrated on the

ground. Both places are encircled by a crenulated low wall. One enters

the front hall through an arched low door.

Not far from there is a place where people dig out black rice grainsturned into small stones, which they say were hidden underground since

the time of Ram.

On the 24thof the month of Tschet (Chet), a big congregation of people

celebrate here the birth of Ram, so famed in the whole of India. ...

(Tieffenthaler, 1786: 252-54, emphasis added)

19thc. Poet of AvadhJaswant Kavi, is said to have composed 70 poems on the

wars between Mr Bq and the Hindus over the possession of theJanmabhmi (quoted in Narain 1993: 13).

1838 The British Surveyor Montgomery Martinnotes, The bigot by whom

the temples were destroyed, is said to have erected mosques on the

situations of the most remarkable temples; but the mosque at Ayodhya ...

1This seems to be a reference to the platform known as Rma chabtra or Rma platform, which used to

be in the courtyard of the disputed site till the demolition of the Bbr structure.


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is ascertained by an inscription on its walls ... to have been built by

Babur ... (Montgomery 1838: II.335-36, quoted in Narain 1993: 7)

1855 Second major confrontation at the disputed site in Moghul times.

Jihdled by Mawlawiyy Amir-ud-din, alias Amr Al Amehaw, under thelast Nawab Wjid Al Shhs regime for the recapture of Hanumngah

(a few hundred metres from the Bbr mosque) from the Hindus.

A Muslim chronicler, drawing from numerous sources, made this

statement on the outcome of the confrontation: Ultimately, on Zilqadda

1271 AH [July 1855], for the tenth or twelfth time, nearly two or three

hundred Muslims gathered at Babri Masjid which is situated inside the

Sita ki Rasoi [Sts kitchen]. ... In short, the turbulence [of 1855] reached

such a stage that apart from the mitigated mosque at Hanuman Garhi,

the Hindus built a temple in the courtyard of Babri Masjid where Sita ki

Rasoi was situated. (Rmpur 1919: II.570-575, quoted in Vishva Hindu

Parishad 1991: 17)

The Gazetteer of Oudhadds important details on the confrontation and its

outcome: In 1855, when a great rupture took place between the Hindus

and Muhammadans, the former occupied the Hanomn Garhi in force,

while the Musalmans took possession of the Janamasthn. The

Muhammadans on that occasion actually charged up the steps of the

Hanomn Garhi, but were driven back with considerable loss. The

Hindus then followed up this success, and at the third attempt, took the

Janamasthn, at the gate of which seventy-five Muhammadans are

buried in the Martyrs grave (Ganj-i-Shahdn.) Eleven Hindus were

killed. Several of the Kings regiments were looking on all the time, but

their orders were not to interfere. It is said that up to that time the

Hindus and Muhammadans alike used to worship in the mosque-temple.

Since British rule a railing has been put up to prevent disputes, withinwhich, in the mosque the Muhammadans pray; while outside the fence

the Hindus have raised a platform on which they make their offerings.

(The Gazetteer of Oudh1877: 7, entry by P. Carnegy)

1856 Extract from Mirz Jn, eyewitness as well as participant in the above

jihd: From old records and the tradition it is gathered ... that, after the


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triumph of Slr Masd Ghz,1wherever in the territory of heaven-like

Hindustan they found magnificent Hindu temples, the Muslim rulers of

the past constructed mosques, monasteries, and inns, greatly spread

Muammadanism by appointing muadhdhin-s [callers], teachers, care-takers, devastated the paraphernalia of idolatry and bell-ringing, gave

grace and glamour to Islam, and vanquished the army of infidels. And

this to such an extent that all over Hindustan no trace of infidelity was

left besides Islam and no practice of idol-worship survived besides

worship of God. And the few Hindus who remained safe from the hands

of the Muslims became the slaves of Islam In short, even as the Muslim

rulers cleared up Mathura, Banaras, etc. from the dust and dross of

infidelity, they cleared up Fyzabad and Avadh also from the filth of falsebelief, inasmuch as it is a great place of worship and was the capital of

Rmas father. Here they broke the temples and left no stone-hearted

idol intact. Where there was a big temple, there they got a big mosque

constructed, and where there was a small pavilion, there they erected a

plain camp mosque/enclosure. Accordingly, what a majestic mosque

Bbar Shh has got constructed in 923 A.H. [1526 CE] under the

patronage of Sayyid Ms shiqn! It is still known far and wide as

the St k Raso mosque. (Mirz Jn1856: 4-5, quoted in Narain 1993: 36-

37)

1856 Awadh was annexed by the British, bringing an end to the Nawabi

rule.

1858 Scottish Surgeon General Edward Balfour, arrived in India in 1838 with

a lifelong interest in climate change and environmental problem. He

noted that Ayodhy had three mosques on the sites of three Hindu

shrines: the Janmasthan on the site where Rama was born; the

Swargadwar Mandir, where his remains were buried; the Treta kaThakur, famed as the scene of one of his great sacrifices. (Balfour 1858:

56, quoted in Vishva Hindu Parishad 1990: 20)

1It is noteworthy that Mirz Jn refers here to the first Islamic campaign deep into the Ganges plain, over

800 years earlier, which reveals a long-term sense of history, at least as far as his notion of the Islamic

mission in India was concerned. However, his reference to Slr Masds triumph needs to be qualified, as

the evidence is that Slr Masd was defeated and killed in the course of his campaign in Ayodhys region

(see entry 1033 above). Mirz Jns mention of the complete elimination of idolatry from Hindustan is, of

course, way off the mark.


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30 Nov. 1858 Petition against the Hindus continued worship in the Janmasthn

mosque.Muammad Aghar, khaband muadhhin of the Bbr Masjid,

filed an application to initiate judicial proceedings against the

Bairgyn-i Janmasthn, calling the mosque masjid-i Janmasthn, andthe courtyard near the arch and the pulpit within the boundary of the

mosque, maqm Janmasthn k. The Bairg-s [devotees] had raised a

platform in the courtyard which the applicant wanted dismantled. He

mentions that the Janmasthn area had been lying unkempt/in disorder

(parshn)for hundreds of years and that the Hindus carried on worship

there. (Narain 1993: 27)

c. 1860 The Muslim scholar Mirz Rajab Al Beg Surrnotes that a glorious

sky-high mosque was built up during king Bbars regime on the spotwhere St k Raso tomb (?) is situated, in Awadh. During this Bbar

[dispensation] the Hindus had no guts to be a match for the Muslims.

There [on the Hanumngahi] Aurangzb constructed a mosque. ... The

Bairg-s [devotees] effaced the mosque and erected a temple in its place.

Then they intruded into the Masjid-i Bbar where the St ki Raso was

situated. The author ... laments that times have so changed that now

the mosque was demolished for construction of a temple (on the

Hanumngahi). (Surr 1860: 121-122, quoted in Narain 1993: 30)1861 A map by Hadbast of village Kot Ram Chandra, appended to the

Settlement Report, shows only Janmasthan, without the symbol of a

mosque on the plot. This practice continues during later Settlements

(1893, 1939 and 1989). (Vishva Hindu Parishad 1990: 24)

1871 A. Cunningham in his Ancient Geography of India records: The present

city of Ajudhya, which is confined to the north-east corner of the old

site, is just two miles in length by about three quarters of a mile in

breadth; but not one half of this extent is occupied by buildings, and thewhole place wears a look of decay. There are no high mounds of ruins,

covered with broken statues and sculptured pillars, such as mark the

sites of other ancient cities, but only a low irregular mass of rubbish

heaps, from which all the bricks have been excavated for the houses of

the neighbouring city of Faizbd. This Muhammadan city, which is two

miles and a half in length by one mile in breadth, is built chiefly of

materials extracted from the ruins of Ajudhya. The two cities together

occupy an area of nearly six square miles, or just about one-half of the


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probable size of the ancient capital of Rma.(Cunningham 1924: 465

66)

1877 Gazetteer of the Province of Oudh

Ajodhya, its eponymous city, was the capital of that happy kingdom in

which all that the Hindu race reveres or desires was realized as it can

never be realized again, and the seat of the glorious dynasty which

began with the sun and culminated after sixty generations of blameless

rulers in the incarnate deity and perfect man, Rma. Whether criticism

will finally enroll the hero among the highest creations of pure

imagination, or accord him a semi-historical personality and a doubtful

date, it is barren to speculate: history is more nearly concerned with the

influence which the story of his life still has on the moral and religious

beliefs of a great people, and the enthusiasm which makes his birth-

place the most highly venerated of the sacred places to which its

pilgrims crowd. (Gazetteer of the Province of Oudh, 1877: xxxi, entry by

W.C. Benett)

It is locally affirmed that at the Muhammadan conquest there were

three important Hindu shrines, with but few devotees attached, at

Ajodhya, which was then little other than a wilderness. These were the

Janamasthn, the Swargaddwr mandir also known as Rm Darbr,

Treta-ke-Thkur. On the first of these the Emperor Bbar built the

mosque, which still bears his name, A.D. 1528. On the second, Aurangzeb

did the same, A.D. 1658 to 1707; and on the third, that sovereign or his

predecessors built a mosque, according to the well-known Muhammadan

principle of enforcing their religion on all those whom they conquered.

The Janamasthn marks the place where Rm Chandar was born. The

Swargaddwr is the gate through which he passed into paradise, possibly

the spot where his body was burned. The Treta-ke-Thkur was famous asthe place where Rma performed a great sacrifice, and which he

commemorated by setting up there images of himself and Sta. ... If

Ajodhya was then little other than a wilderness, it must at least have

possessed a fine temple in the Janamasthn; for many of its columns are

still in existence and in good preservation, having been used by the

Musalmans in the construction of the Bbari mosque. These are of strong

close-grained, dark-colored or black stone, called by the natives kasauti

(literally, touch-stone slate,) and carved with different devices. To my


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thinking, these more strongly resemble Buddhist pillars than those I

have seen at Benares and elsewhere. They are from seven to eight feet

long, square at the base, centre and capital, and round or octagonal

intermediately. ... The two other old mosques to which allusion has beenmade (known by the common people by the name of Naurang Shah, by

whom they mean Aurangzeb) are now mere picturesque ruins.

(Gazetteerof the Province of Oudh, 1877: 6-7, entry by P. Carnegy)

1878 The Muslim scholar Haji Muammad Hasan records: Sayyid Ms

shiqn built a mosque after levelling down Rjah Rmachandras

palace and Sts kitchen by order of ahru d-Dn Bbar, king of Dihl, in

923 A.H. [1526 CE], and king Muiyy-u d-Dn Aurangzb lamgr built

another mosque at the same place. (Hasan 1878: 38-39, quoted in Narain1993: 29) Both these mosques had developed cracks at various places

because of the ageing character. (Hasan 1878: 38-39, quoted in Vishva

Hindu Parishad 1990: 16)

Mid 19thc. Maulvi Abdul Karim, then imam of the Bbr Masjid, in his Forgotten

Events of Ayodhy, credits Bbar with the demolition of the temple and

the construction of the mosque: In this Kot [of Raja Ram Chander Ji],

there were a few burjs[towery big halls]. Towards the side of the western

burj, there was the house of birthplace and the kitchen of the abovementioned Raja. And now, they call it Janmasthn and Raso-i St J.

Having demolished these structures, king Bbar got a majestic mosque

constructed. (Vishva Hindu Parishad 1990: 16; for the complicated

publishing history of this work, first published in Persan in 1885, then in

several Urdu editions in the 20thcentury, see Narain 1993: 3031)

1886 In a judgement on a petition by Mahant Raghubir Das to obtain

permission to build a temple on the spot just outside the Bbr Masjid

where the Hindus had been worshipping for centuries, Col. J.E.A.Chamier, District Judge, Fyzabad, after visiting the site for personal

inspection, observed: It is most unfortunate that a masjid should have

been built on land specially held sacred by the Hindus, but as that event

occurred 356 years ago it is too late now to remedy the grievance.

(Chamier 1886, quoted in Narain 1993: 10)

1887 Map of Faizabad municipality showing the fortified Ramkot complex.

The map is reproduced in Appendix 6 to the 2010 judgement of Justice


34/37


Sudhir Agarwal, vol. 21, with the following caption: A Historical Sketch

of Tahsil Fyzabad, Zillah Fyzabad, by P. Carnegy (published in 1887). The

map shows Hanumangarhi within Ram Kot. (Hanumangarhi, or

Hanumans abode, a few hundred metres away from the Bbr Masjid,also saw a mosque erected on the site of a temple, with a history of

alternating possession by Hindus and Muslims.)

1 .

1889 In a report published by the Archaeological Survey of India, the

archaeologist and epigraphist A. Fhrer begins thus a note on Ayodhy:

Bbars Masjid at Ayodhy was built in A.H. 930, or A.D. 1523, by Mr

Khn, on the very spot where the old temple Janmsthnam of

Rmachandra was standing. Fhrer goes on to list three inscriptions

found in the Masjid, one in Arabic and two in Persian (the same as in theentry 1528 above), which together state the same facts. Fhrer also

notes, The old temple of Rmachandra at Janmsthnam must have

been a very fine one, for many of its columns have been used by the

Musalmns in the construction of Bbars masjid. (Fhrer 1889: 67)

***


35/37


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***

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