A Devious Ayodhya Solution Will Fail

A Devious Ayodhya Solution Will Fail

By Praful Bidwai

The News International (Pakistan)
03 July, 2003

Just as the archaeological excavation ordered by a court at Ayodhya is turning up negative results on the existence of a Hindu temple beneath the demolished Babri mosque, the Bharatiya Janata Party has floated a new proposal for an out-of-court settlement to the dispute. The initiative comes through the Shankaracharya of Kanchi in Tamil Nadu. It has slim chances of winning consensual approval unless the BJP stops being devious and takes an even-handed approach to the issue.

The proposal has not been fully disclosed in its current avatar. But
broadly, it asks that a Ram temple be built where the Babri mosque stood. That means the Muslims, who have a strong title claim to that plot, give it up and accept that a mosque may be built close by. In turn, Hindu organisations give up their claim to the Kashi and Mathura "mosques". Muslims will also be allowed to pray in some 1,000 historic mosques -- according to some, only 100 monuments -- which are currently under care of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Various Muslim organisations say they are open to a compromise provided it is honourable and recognises that a grievous wrong was committed in razing the Babri mosque in December 1992. But the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has already shot down the idea. It now accuses the BJP of "betraying" the Hindus and "selling out" to the Muslims. The temple issue, which once united different Hindutva streams, now divides them.

The Hindutva forces have also suffered a setback on "discovering" a temple at Ayodhya which pre-dates the mosque built in 1528 AD. Despite numerous extensions, tharchaeological excavation at Ayodhya has failed to produce evidence that a Hindu temple existed where the Babri mosque stood.

The Archaeological Survey -- which reports to a government led by Hindutva zealots like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who have been charged in the Babri demolition case -- has submitted two new "status reports" to the Allahabad High Court.

These too show no evidence of a temple pre-existing the mosque. If there was such a temple, its structural remains would have been found beneath the mosque's floor. The only pre-Babri structures found are brick walls and lime (chuna)-plastered floors, characteristic of medieval Islamic practices.

According to leading medieval historian Irfan Habib and eminent
archaeologist Suraj Bhan, "matters have become definitively clear" with the ASI's latest reports. Its 55 new trenches cover the entire Babri mosque complex and much of the surrounding area, including spots right next to the makeshift Ram canopy/temple.

Yet, say these experts and their associates like Supriya Verma, Jaya Menon and Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, who closely observed the excavation as litigants' nominees: "In trench after trench, no structural remains below the mosque's floor level have been found... [Those] found in some trenches are all of construction associated with the [Babri] mosque."

Much fuss was made earlier about "pillar bases" of a hypothetical
temple. But only seven were found in just six trenches (out of
100-plus), without alignment or uniformity of level. They are not
load-bearing structures or associated with any Hindu architectural
tradition. They couldn't have been a temple's pillar bases.

The experts quoted say the Devanagari inscription, about which a
hullabaloo was made in Outlook magazine (June 2), was a
computer-manipulated image which appears to be "quite modern [The letters] read napala du rabh, with no resemblance to the word swaahom followed by word Ram, as alleged".

The pervasive presence of animal bones with cut-marks, Muslim glazed ware, and finds with "Arabic inscriptions of holy verses", and the "absence of even a trace of anything" indicating a temple's remains, suggest that the local pre-Babri habitation had a strong Muslim component, according to the social scientists.

There is powerful evidence that underneath the Babri lay another
mosque from the (pre-Mughal) Sultanate period. "The Babri Masjid structure was superimposed on a pre-existing mosque which was constructed out of stones and plastered over with lime mortar, plastering being an art brought in by Muslims", says Professor Suraj Bhan.

Also found under the Babri structure was graves. Underlying the Ram chabutra was a hauz (water reservoir) with a lime-plastered floor. Most of the other "antiquities" were glazed pottery, pestles, bones, etc., which point to a temple's non-existence.

The ASI's excavation was excessive: professional archaeologists would have dug just four trenches around the Babri structure, in place of the 100-plus. In archaeology, more isn't better. The sole evidence of a pre-existing temple has to be its structure -- plinth, base, walls, etc. This is absent.

Clearly, the VHP's temple claim is not based on facts. Nor does any Hindu scriptural authority back it. It's based on invented, irrational faith.

Millions of people were thus taken for a ride by Hindutva fanatics on the Ayodhya issue -- in the manner of medieval mobs who would hunt witches on mere suspicion. The entire Ayodhya movement was driven by revenge for "past wrongs". Its divisive politics was designed to spread hatred and lynch people.

The VHP, true to type, now says this is a matter of faith. It demands a grand temple must be built at the Babri site; a mosque can only be built 10 km away. But the Ayodhya Jama Masjid already exists, 1.5 km away, as do other mosques.

The VHP rejects the formula of the Kanchi Shankaracharya because he is a Shaivite whereas Rama belongs to the Vaishnavite tradition. The Shankaracharya is discreetly acting on behalf of the government, as he did in March 2002. Yet, the VHP has spurned his "compromise". It's bent upon dictating terms: the temple must be built where we demand it-the courts, archaeologists, facts can go to hell. It's arrogating
to itself the right to speak on behalf of 820 million Hindus.

The VHP has no respect for the law of the land, leave alone
tolerance. However, it couldn't have become the monster it has
without the BJP's active support, legitimation and collusion.

It's a bit late in the day for Prime Minister Vajpayee to say that
the temple issue should be "free from party politics". It's the BJP
which politicised it first. Vajpayee himself declared the Ayodhya
campaign a "national movement". The various forces involved in the Babri demolition are indulging in finger-pointing, while evading responsibility for the mosque's demolition.

The time has come to adopt a clean, principled, transparent approach. An honourable, equitable compromise on Ayodhya alone can win the confidence of the Muslims. If the Hindutva forces remain intransigent, the courts must be left to deal with it.

Eighty-five percent of Muslims, according to a survey, don't want to gift the Ayodhya land to the Hindus, without an assurance on the mosque's rebuilding. An unfair settlement shouldn't be imposed on them. When social negotiation breaks down, and political leaders fail, the law alone can resolve disputes. Parliament legislation is no substitute for judicial determination.

There must be no humiliating, dishonourable, unjust compromise, which erases the crime committed against Indian secularism in December 1992.