Eminent archaeologist and researcher K K Muhammed comes out with the claim that Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was erected at a location where an ancient Hindu temple situated.
Attributing his claims to various evidences gathered as the part of his research in Ayodhya in 1978, he says that he does not want to align with religious or political groups wielding fundamentalist ideologies.
K K Muhammed Image courtesy: Youtube
In his autobiography which is to be released on Saturday, Muhammed mentions about the presence of a temple atop Ramkot hills in Ayodhya before the construction of Babri Masjid commenced there in 1527. The mosque was constructed on Ramkot hills following an order by Mughal emperor Babur.
Babri Masjid demolition which created ripples of violence across the nation happened in 1990. However, he claims that the evidences about the temple were gathered by him in 1978 during an expedition to Babri Masjid with a group of archaeology experts.
Muhammed argues that a ‘Poorna Kalasham’ similar to those which could be found in 11th century temples was found etched on to one of the 14 pillars of the demolished mosque.
He further says that people who knew this fact kept mum without deliberating any sort of compromise after or during the mosque demolition.
He holds that communist extremism equally aggravated the untoward incidents post Masjid demolition along with other factors like Muslim and Hindu extremism.
“A leftist stance taken a by an English newspaper then worsened the situation,” he was quoted by Asianet News.
He is of the opinion that it is incorrect to delay the temple construction even after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Allahabad high court have confirmed the presence of an ancient temple’s in that exact location.
A newspaper report about Ayodhya riot after the mosque demolition Image courtesy: The Guardian
In a riot that ensued Masjid demolition in 1992 an estimated 2000 people were killed. Babri Masjid demolition is still one of the fuming communal issues in India.
