09-29-2010, 03:36 AM
Ancient undergound temple
The excavation yielded: ââ¬Åstone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated sculpture of a divine couple and carved architectural features, including foliage patterns, amalaka, kapotapali, doorjamb with semi-circular shrine pilaster, broke octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus motif, circular shrine having pranjala (watershute) in the north and 50 pillar bases in association with a huge structure".
This ancient temple was destroyed by Muslim vandalism. The only candidates before the Gahadavala Govindachandra are the Ghaznavids, of whom Mahmud and Salar Masud are the most likely Ghazi invaders.
New Temple inscriptions
12th century, pre-Sultanate thick stone slab recovered from the demolished 'masjid' structure, embedded in the lower portion of a wall.
The 1.10m x 0.56m buff sandstone, found broken into two pieces from the debris of the demolished structure, was inspected by a team of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India in March 2000 under instructions from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. It has since been kept at the Ram Katha Kunj under the seal of the high court.
Line 5: paying obeissance to the ââ¬ÅJanmabhumi of that incarnation of Vishnu which possesses the highest and most desirable glory in this world and whose splendour was constantly enhanced by
performing thousands of brave deeds". (Clear reference to Shri Rama)
B.B. Lal: ââ¬ÅFrom the published reports it is gathered that there were more than 200 specimens which included many sculptured panels and architectural components which must have once constituted parts of the demolished temple. Besides, there were three inscriptionsââ¬Â¦
ââ¬Â¦the largest one is engraved on a stone slab, measuring 1.10 x .56 metres, and consists of 20 lines. It has since been published by Professor Ajaya Mitra Shastri of Nagpur University in the Puratattva, No. 23 (1992-93), pp. 35 ff. (Professor Shastri, who unfortunately is no more, was a distinguished historian and a specialist in Epigraphy and Numismatics.) The relevant part of his paper reads as follows:
The inscription is composed in high-flown Sanskrit verse, except for a small portion in prose, and is engraved in the chaste and classical Nagari script of the eleventh-twelfth century AD. It has yet to be fully deciphered, but the portions which have been fully deciphered and read are of great historical significance for our purpose here. It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. Line 15 of this inscription, for example, clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps of stone (sila-samhati-grahais) and beautified with a golden spire (hiranya-kalasa-srisundaram) unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings (purvvair-apy-akritam nripatibhir) was constructed. This wonderful temple (aty-adbhutam) was built in the temple-city (vibudh-alayani) of Ayodhya situated in the Saketamandala (district, line 17) showing that Ayodhya and Saketa were closely connected, Saketa being the district of which Ayodhya was a part. Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali (apparently in the Vamana manifestation) and the ten-headed personage (Dasanana i.e. Ravana).
The inscription makes it abundantly clear that there did exist at the site a temple datable to circa 11th-12th century CE. The sculptures and inscribed slab that came out from within the walls of the Masjid belonged to this very temple. It has been contented by certain historians that these images, architectural parts and the inscribed slab were brought by the Kar Sevaks from somewhere else and surreptitiously placed there at the time of the demolition of the Masjid. This contention is absolutely baseless. Transportation of the above-mentioned material from elsewhere would have required the use of many trucks, an act which would have certainly been noticed by the innumerable representatives of the print and electronic media present on the spot to cover the event. On the other hand, a reputed journal, India Today, published in its issue dated December 31, 1992 a photograph which shows the Kar Sevaks carrying on their shoulders a huge stone-slab sculpted with a long frieze, after having picked it up from the debris.
Anyway, to allay any misgivings, I append here a Note from the highest authority on epigraphical matters in the country, namely the Director of Epigraphy, Archaeological Survey of India, Dr. K.V. Ramesh.
ââ¬Â¦ according to [Ramesh] this temple was built by Meghasuta who obtained the lordship of Saketamandala [i.e. the Ayodhya region] through the grace of a senior Lord of the earth, viz. Govinda Chandra of the Gahadavala dynasty, who ruled over a vast empire, from 1114 to 1155 CE.ââ¬Â
From: Rama His Historicity, Mandir and Setu: Evidence of Literature, Archaeology and Other Sciences, by B.B. Lal, 2008. ISBN: 9788173053450.
Some sources provide the names of Nayachandra and Ayushchandra. Perhaps Meghasuta and the two Chandras are all involved with the start of construction and subsequent finishing or perhaps repairs after violation. At this moment I cannot see the role of the Chandra governors and their time, as I do not have the Sanskrit originals.
But, the inscription of the demolished wall clearly refers to king Govindachandra Gahadavala.
Name Janmasthana shrine
Skandapurana, Ayodhya-Mahatmya: a pilgrimage to the city is the best means to salvation. The Ayodhya-Mahatmya profusely eulogizes the Janmabhumi shrine and gives it location. The merits of a visit by a devotee observing the vow on the Ramanavami day to the Janmasthana has been described in Ayodhya-Mahatmya in the following words:
"A man who has seen the Janmasthana will not be born again even if he does not offer gifts, practice asceticism, goes on pilgrimages or make sacrifice-offerings. A man observing the vow world be liberated from the bondages of rebirth on arrival of the Navami day because of the miraculous power of a bath and a gift. By seeing the Rama-Janmabhumi he shall obtain the result that accrues to one who gives away a thousand red cows day after day".
Other Hindu features
Over 200 other artifacts were recovered on the day of demolition of the structure, and many point to being part of an ancient temple. Of course the Nayachandra stone slab.
The excellence of the Hindu masons craftsmanship is noticeable in their vegetal scrolls and lotus patterns of the structure which was demolished in 1992. This is clear indication that the Ghazi Babar, having led a Jihad against Rana Sanga in 1527, could never tolerate vegetal signs if he did build a Masjid (!) from scratch.
B.B. Lal also says that ââ¬ÅAttached to the piers of the Babri Masjid there were twelve stone pillars which carried not only typical Hindu motifs and mouldings but also figures of Hindu deities.ââ¬Â And he further says ââ¬Åthe pillar-bases were penetrating into the Masjid-complex, a question naturally arose whether these bases had anything to do with the above-mentioned pillars affixed to the piers of the Masjid.ââ¬Â
For me it is clear that the demolished structure has its origins with the Gahadavala period temple, which was interconnected and built on top of an older temple complex beneath. How many times the newer 12th century temple was harrased and repaired till Babar's time is hard to say. But it is clear that Babar didn't build the demolished structure from scratch, but he had desecrated and converted a former temple with minor changes (removing idols, reverting stone slabs with Hindu iconography and Nagari inscriptions, arranging the qiblah) into a mosque.
The unfortunate demolition of a former desecrated temple, fortunately unearthened proofs of its former Hindu status, and also of the existence of an older destroyed temple beneath it.
The excavation yielded: ââ¬Åstone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated sculpture of a divine couple and carved architectural features, including foliage patterns, amalaka, kapotapali, doorjamb with semi-circular shrine pilaster, broke octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus motif, circular shrine having pranjala (watershute) in the north and 50 pillar bases in association with a huge structure".
This ancient temple was destroyed by Muslim vandalism. The only candidates before the Gahadavala Govindachandra are the Ghaznavids, of whom Mahmud and Salar Masud are the most likely Ghazi invaders.
New Temple inscriptions
12th century, pre-Sultanate thick stone slab recovered from the demolished 'masjid' structure, embedded in the lower portion of a wall.
The 1.10m x 0.56m buff sandstone, found broken into two pieces from the debris of the demolished structure, was inspected by a team of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India in March 2000 under instructions from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. It has since been kept at the Ram Katha Kunj under the seal of the high court.
Line 5: paying obeissance to the ââ¬ÅJanmabhumi of that incarnation of Vishnu which possesses the highest and most desirable glory in this world and whose splendour was constantly enhanced by
performing thousands of brave deeds". (Clear reference to Shri Rama)
B.B. Lal: ââ¬ÅFrom the published reports it is gathered that there were more than 200 specimens which included many sculptured panels and architectural components which must have once constituted parts of the demolished temple. Besides, there were three inscriptionsââ¬Â¦
ââ¬Â¦the largest one is engraved on a stone slab, measuring 1.10 x .56 metres, and consists of 20 lines. It has since been published by Professor Ajaya Mitra Shastri of Nagpur University in the Puratattva, No. 23 (1992-93), pp. 35 ff. (Professor Shastri, who unfortunately is no more, was a distinguished historian and a specialist in Epigraphy and Numismatics.) The relevant part of his paper reads as follows:
The inscription is composed in high-flown Sanskrit verse, except for a small portion in prose, and is engraved in the chaste and classical Nagari script of the eleventh-twelfth century AD. It has yet to be fully deciphered, but the portions which have been fully deciphered and read are of great historical significance for our purpose here. It was evidently put up on the wall of the temple, the construction of which is recorded in the text inscribed on it. Line 15 of this inscription, for example, clearly tells us that a beautiful temple of Vishnu-Hari, built with heaps of stone (sila-samhati-grahais) and beautified with a golden spire (hiranya-kalasa-srisundaram) unparalleled by any other temple built by earlier kings (purvvair-apy-akritam nripatibhir) was constructed. This wonderful temple (aty-adbhutam) was built in the temple-city (vibudh-alayani) of Ayodhya situated in the Saketamandala (district, line 17) showing that Ayodhya and Saketa were closely connected, Saketa being the district of which Ayodhya was a part. Line 19 describes god Vishnu as destroying king Bali (apparently in the Vamana manifestation) and the ten-headed personage (Dasanana i.e. Ravana).
The inscription makes it abundantly clear that there did exist at the site a temple datable to circa 11th-12th century CE. The sculptures and inscribed slab that came out from within the walls of the Masjid belonged to this very temple. It has been contented by certain historians that these images, architectural parts and the inscribed slab were brought by the Kar Sevaks from somewhere else and surreptitiously placed there at the time of the demolition of the Masjid. This contention is absolutely baseless. Transportation of the above-mentioned material from elsewhere would have required the use of many trucks, an act which would have certainly been noticed by the innumerable representatives of the print and electronic media present on the spot to cover the event. On the other hand, a reputed journal, India Today, published in its issue dated December 31, 1992 a photograph which shows the Kar Sevaks carrying on their shoulders a huge stone-slab sculpted with a long frieze, after having picked it up from the debris.
Anyway, to allay any misgivings, I append here a Note from the highest authority on epigraphical matters in the country, namely the Director of Epigraphy, Archaeological Survey of India, Dr. K.V. Ramesh.
ââ¬Â¦ according to [Ramesh] this temple was built by Meghasuta who obtained the lordship of Saketamandala [i.e. the Ayodhya region] through the grace of a senior Lord of the earth, viz. Govinda Chandra of the Gahadavala dynasty, who ruled over a vast empire, from 1114 to 1155 CE.ââ¬Â
From: Rama His Historicity, Mandir and Setu: Evidence of Literature, Archaeology and Other Sciences, by B.B. Lal, 2008. ISBN: 9788173053450.
Some sources provide the names of Nayachandra and Ayushchandra. Perhaps Meghasuta and the two Chandras are all involved with the start of construction and subsequent finishing or perhaps repairs after violation. At this moment I cannot see the role of the Chandra governors and their time, as I do not have the Sanskrit originals.
But, the inscription of the demolished wall clearly refers to king Govindachandra Gahadavala.
Name Janmasthana shrine
Skandapurana, Ayodhya-Mahatmya: a pilgrimage to the city is the best means to salvation. The Ayodhya-Mahatmya profusely eulogizes the Janmabhumi shrine and gives it location. The merits of a visit by a devotee observing the vow on the Ramanavami day to the Janmasthana has been described in Ayodhya-Mahatmya in the following words:
"A man who has seen the Janmasthana will not be born again even if he does not offer gifts, practice asceticism, goes on pilgrimages or make sacrifice-offerings. A man observing the vow world be liberated from the bondages of rebirth on arrival of the Navami day because of the miraculous power of a bath and a gift. By seeing the Rama-Janmabhumi he shall obtain the result that accrues to one who gives away a thousand red cows day after day".
Other Hindu features
Over 200 other artifacts were recovered on the day of demolition of the structure, and many point to being part of an ancient temple. Of course the Nayachandra stone slab.
The excellence of the Hindu masons craftsmanship is noticeable in their vegetal scrolls and lotus patterns of the structure which was demolished in 1992. This is clear indication that the Ghazi Babar, having led a Jihad against Rana Sanga in 1527, could never tolerate vegetal signs if he did build a Masjid (!) from scratch.
B.B. Lal also says that ââ¬ÅAttached to the piers of the Babri Masjid there were twelve stone pillars which carried not only typical Hindu motifs and mouldings but also figures of Hindu deities.ââ¬Â And he further says ââ¬Åthe pillar-bases were penetrating into the Masjid-complex, a question naturally arose whether these bases had anything to do with the above-mentioned pillars affixed to the piers of the Masjid.ââ¬Â
For me it is clear that the demolished structure has its origins with the Gahadavala period temple, which was interconnected and built on top of an older temple complex beneath. How many times the newer 12th century temple was harrased and repaired till Babar's time is hard to say. But it is clear that Babar didn't build the demolished structure from scratch, but he had desecrated and converted a former temple with minor changes (removing idols, reverting stone slabs with Hindu iconography and Nagari inscriptions, arranging the qiblah) into a mosque.
The unfortunate demolition of a former desecrated temple, fortunately unearthened proofs of its former Hindu status, and also of the existence of an older destroyed temple beneath it.