by khair » Sun Mar 31, 2002 12:30 am
Eighty-six-year-old Ramanandi Vaishnav Saint Akshay Brahmchari is one person who can turn the tables on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad by debunking the very basis of its claim on the Rama Janma Bhoomi complex in the court of law. He has closely witnessed Ayodhya developments since 1936.
Old and frail Brahmchari, who was a witness to the surreptitious placement of Lord Ram idols inside the Babri Mosque in the intervening night of December 22/23, 1949, has several cogent arguments to counter VHP claim on the disputed complex. They are:
The Ramajanma Sthan temple already exists in the Ramkot area, for the maintenance of which the Nawab of Avadh had donated Sarai Shekhar village in the Chinhat area and for aarti, Moharrumpur village in Ayodhya. The village is today known as Aarti.
Along with the Janma Sthan temple exists the Ram Gulela Sthan (where Ram used to play), Vashishth Kund, (he received his education) Ratna Simhasan, (from where he ruled) and Rang Mahal, (where he used to relax) besides Sumitra Bhawan, Kop Bhawan, Dashrath Mahal, Kaushalya Bhawan.
Of the 52 Dwaracharyas among Ramanandi Vaishnav, Deo Murari ji constructed the Janma Sthan temple, along with Janaki Kunj and Laxman Ghat, on the eastern side of the Babri Mosque about 400 years back. There was no dispute on the birthplace of Lord Ram then and a 41-foot wide road divided the Babri Mosque from the Janma Sthan temple. All were shown in the map of Ayodhya, which the local pandas (tourist guides) used to carry. Now their maps should the entire complex as Rama Janma Bhumi complex.
The idols were secretly shifted from Ram Chabutara (in the periphery of the Mosque) inside the Babri Mosque. A month-long yagya was held. Ground was levelled after demolishing several ‘majars’ including the famous Kazi Kidwai ki Mazar.
\"I personally spoke to the DM, Chief Secretary, Home Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Chief Minister, Govind Ballabh Pant. Wrote several letters to them demanding restoration of the Babri Mosque. In fact I even tried to persuade the Sadhus who were chanting Sita Ram bhajan to remove the idols in the interest of the nation. They agreed but the then DM, KK Nayyar whose gameplan it was said ‘ the chief secretary has asked us to maintain status quo till the return of CM’. But by evening pamphlets were distributed all over Ayodhya on ‘ ram lalla prakat huye’. The entire programme was the brainchild of KK Nayyar, Mahant Avaidhnath and Bhaorao Deoras, who wanted to establish RSS in Ayodhya. Twice Brahmchari went on a fast. Brahmchari, who was in Congress then and twice held indefinite fast in the UPCC office here has lot of axe to grind against the then Congress leaders.
Goswami Tulsidas, who touched every aspect of Lord Ram’s life, would have been 31 years old in 1528 when the Babri Mosque is reported to have been built after demolishing the temple. Why didn\'t Tulsidas mention the existence of the temple in Ramcharit Manas? Further, there is no Ram temple in the country which more than 500 years old. Only the Ramanandi Vaishnavs who consider Ram as supreme god constructed Ram temples. For VHP and RSS, Lord Ram is only a ‘ mahapurush’.
The plaint and map submitted by Nirmohi Akhara in support of their claim on the temple at Ram Chabutara has shown Babri Mosque separately. Even Nirmohi Akhara admits temple existed outside the Babri Mosque.
Namaaz was offered in the Babri Mosque till the evening of December 22, 1949, which is contrary to the VHP’s claim that no namaaz was being offered in the Babri Mosque. On an average about 15 to 20 Muslims used to offer namaaz every day, though their numbers used to swell to 300 to 400 on Fridays.
Brahmchari is living in oblivion here at Chinhat, but has not as yet given up his crusade for the restoration of the Babri Mosque. He last wrote to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on November 16,2000 in which he demanded reconstruction of the Babri Mosque at the same site, albeit if needed after taking court permission and thereafter wait for the court verdict.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/arcscript/htarchive.asp