GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Jan. Hindus worldwide are eagerly preparing for a momentous occasion that is set to take place after five centuries. The consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir is scheduled for January 22, 2024, in Ayodhya. The entire city is abuzz with activity as bulldozers, excavators, and drilling machines fill every corner. Thousands of workers toil through the night, constructing pavements, installing unique sun-emblem lighting, and adding the final touches to the outer facades.
Saffron paint, Nagara-style arches, and Ramayana-inspired designs featuring Hanuman, bow and arrow, and mace adorn the buildings along the three main routes, which have been called Ram Path, Bhakti Path, and Ram Janmabhoomi Path for extra variety. The animated pattern, created at an astounding cost of Rs 30,000 crore, reimagines the mythical kingdom of Ayodhya during Lord Ram’s reign. It serves as the dramatic background for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s epic Ram temple inauguration ceremony on January 22, as well as the commencement of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2024 election campaign.
Ayodhya is a spiritual capital of Bharat, where people of all faiths and sects live in harmony with one another. However, the city is about to undergo tremendous expansion and economic boom, particularly with the construction of Ram Mandir. One such option is the construction of an international airport in Ayodhya, which will not only improve the temple town’s connectivity with the outside world but also increase tourism and support nearby companies and ancillary industries.
However, many radical and left-wing groups, including some Samajwadi Party and Congress officials, are opposed to the hallowed occasion. Also, many Muslim leaders were dissatisfied with the government’s decision to use the full 67-acre plot for the temple while allocating alternate land elsewhere for the mosque.
But the fact that there are still eight mosques remaining in Ayodhya Dharmanagari surrounding the temple has been concealed by those who have banded together to fabricate a fictitious scenario of bigotry against Hindus in the name of Ayodhya. This neighbourhood is also home to a large Muslim population, who publicly practise their religion.
Within 10 square km are 4 cemeteries and 8 mosques
The existence of Islamic buildings of worship in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, is the most noteworthy feature. These houses refer to Hinduism as “Kufr” and “Shirk” and assert that Islam is the greatest religion of all time. There are eight mosques and four cemeteries in the Dharmanagari area. Furthermore, there are a few mosques in Ayodhya that are just a hundred metres from the land owned by Ram Janmbhoomi. They typically have loudspeakers attached, and five times a day, they broadcast “Azaan.” Additionally, their paint and lighting are frequently maintained. Here, every Muslim practices their faith with complete ease.
Earlier a number of Muslim citizens in Ayodhya wrote to the temple trust, claiming that building the Ram temple over Muslim graves would violate ‘Sanatan Dharma’.
The letter was sent by MR Shamshad, an advocate who represented the Muslim side in the Ayodhya title dispute lawsuit. According to the letter, which was sent on February 15, there is a graveyard around the demolished Babri Masjid where Muslims who died in the Ayodhya riots in 1885 are buried.
According to recorded data, 75 Muslims were slain in the 1885 riots and buried in an existing graveyard near the mosque. Even after that, this site was used as a graveyard.
“The central government has not examined the problem of not exploiting Muslim graveyards to build Lord Ram’s big temple. “It has violated ‘dharma”, says the letter.
Other than this, there is a mosque less than a hundred metres from the Ayodhya Dham intersection. From a distance, one can see its enormous dome shining green. There are often hordes of devotees at this location as well.
There are hundreds of concrete burials at Vidya Kund in Dharmakshetra. Arabic inscriptions can be seen on the stones of these cement cemeteries. Muslims from the surrounding areas still travel here to bury their departed family members. It is reported that Ayodhya Dharmakshetra has more than four of these cemeteries. Radical or communist viewpoints have yet to reconcile with this proof of inclusivity found in the centre of Lord Ram’s home.
Adjacent to the site where Janmbhoomi is located in Ayodhya is a Muslim-dominated village known as Kajiyana. Iqbal Ansari, the petitioner for the Muslim side in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri dispute, also resides in the area. Even in the communities around the Ram Mandir premises, Muslim residents live in peace and comfort despite the constant presence of saints and Hindu seers in and around Ayodhya.
Around 3400 shrines belonging to various groups
Officially, the Ayodhya Dharmanagari area covers 10.24 square kilometres. There are about 3,400 temples here that practise various forms of devotion and are devoted to various branches of Sanatana Dharma. The idea that Hinduism has a single root despite variation is communicated by the fact that every temple is constructed around it.
In addition to symbolising the profound acceptance of Lord Ram by Sanatana Dharma, these Hindu temples symbolise all the sects. The fact that there are more than 3400 temples shows how diverse and all-encompassing Lord Ram is.
Moreover, Ayodhya is home to two Jain temples; Hindu pilgrims travel from all over the world to visit both Sikh and Jain religious places with great respect; these historical religious sites also testify to their long-standing connection to the name of Lord Ram. Four Gurdwaras are located in Ayodhya Dharmakshetra . These Gurdwaras have been there since ancient times and are representations of the union of Sikhism and Hinduism, which some modern Khalistani ideologues are attempting to refute.
This temple will play a significant role in elevating Ayodhya to the status of the spiritual capital of Bharat, serving as a live manifestation of both the nation’s spiritual heritage and Lord Rama’s continuous legacy.
In order to heal past traumas and promote positive interreligious relations in the future, the historical destruction of these and other sacred sites and places of worship for Hindus and adherents of other Indic religions must be acknowledged and constructively addressed.
The best method to resolve this and other unresolved disputes regarding the historical destruction of Hindu and other Indic sacred sites and temples is through the judicial process in conjunction with constructive discussion.
