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Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple

Ayodhya: The Case Against The Temple is a book written by Koenraad Elst and published by Aditya Books in 2002. This book addresses the event of the Babri Mosque Demolition in India on December 6th, 1992. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, and in the city of Ayodhya. Elst argues the non-existence of the Hindu temple as he puts fourth two pieces of evidence. First, arguments for the existence of the Ram Temple came from no solid evidence. There is no proof that the Rama Temple existed before the construction of the Babri Mosque. Supposedly the Babri Mosque has been built right above Rama’s Temple. And second the Rama Temple party attempted to yield faults from loose evidence. Elst believes that the pro-temple party and supporters have not successfully proved the existence of the Rama Temple.

Brief History of Lord Rama

Lord Rama (or God Rama) is one of the most admired Gods in Hinduism. His story is told in the epic Ramayana where he is the perfect man for any woman and a great hero that people from all villages look up to. Rama is portrayed as a warrior with a weapon. The ideal weapon he wields is a bow and arrow. This conveys that he is always prepared to serve, protect, discipline, and is eager and ready to fight off evil.

Babri Mosque Demolition – December 6th, 1992

On that day, 200 000 Hindu extremists barged through police barricades. They used hammers to break down the structure and proceeded to tear apart the bricks with their hands. The outcome was a religious monument that was completely destroyed to the ground. Making this one of the major pivotal points in the history of India, if not all Hindu-Muslim countries.

The Aftermath of The Demolition

The aftermath of this destruction lead to a death toll of more that 2000 deaths due to rioting in Ayodhya alone. This event soon triggered another rioting in Gujarat, where approximately 2000 people were killed. Most of them were Muslim. Soon riots broke out in other countries that were occupied by Muslims and Hindus. Multiple reported incidences took place in Bangladesh and Pakistan where Hindu properties and temples were damaged and destroyed by Muslims. Right through the next decade tension remained between the two religious groups and both faced equal discrimination and harassment. The people have not caused great harm to the Mosque through demolition, but the Mosque demolition has caused great harm to the people.

In 2002 the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Indian political party, set March 15th, 2002 as the date to begin the construction of a brand new Rama Temple in the same district of Ayodhya. Unfortunately on February 27th, 2002, sixteen days before the rebuilding project, 58 Hindu volunteers on a train heading from Ayodhya to Gujarat were killed. This sparked another riot into Gujarat and killed approximately 1000 people. The way these people were killed is similar to a large-scale genocide.

Twenty-two years later the demolition of the Babri Mosque is remembered bringing back anger and hurt to whomever is directly or indirectly affected by it. This event carries deep-rooted sentimental value to both religious groups because a religious building, which is a safe place of worship, has cost the lives of thousands of religious followers. From 1992 to 2014, twenty-two years have passed, making this event fairly recent, with the majority of Hindu and Muslim families just one or two generations following this event. Emotionally the only way to move on from this tragic loss is to forgive our elders for making these unsound decisions. Extremists and non-extremists from religious groups must also learn to respect human life and learn that equity will bring peace among them. We must all learn this Shakespearian quote: “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?”. And forget about seeking revenge.

Till this day the Babri Mosque and/or the Rama Temple have not been rebuilt because the request has lacked worthiness and the costs the government would incur, the real cost are very high. Including a Rs. 50 000 (Rupees) exemplary cost. The money does not look appealing and it comes at an opportunity cost however the reconstruction of both these religious monuments will bring relief to the people.