Babri Masjid built over 10th century Hindu temple: Counsel for Ram Lalla in SC.

Day 8. ASI’s excavation report of Ram Janmabhoomi as ‘pre-existed Hindu temple beneath the Babri construction’ argued in Ayodhya Title Suit in SC.

Masjid built over 10th century temple: Counsel for Ram Lalla.

Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN | New Delhi | Aug 21, 2019:: Deity Ram Lalla’s counsel C S Vaidyanathan told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that there was not even an iota of doubt about the fact that Babri Masjid was built in 1528 over a huge, 10th century Hindu temple, either over its ruins or after its demolition.

Arguing before a constitution bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, the counsel read out a report of the Archaeological Survey of India, which said after digging 90 trenches around the demolished structure and examining the yield of stones, bricks and carved pillars from the excavation that a “massive structure” existed just below the disputed structure.

The ASI report before the HC had said, “Viewing in totality and taking into account the archaeological evidence of a massive structure just below the disputed structure and evidence of continuity in structural phases from the 10th century onwards up to the construction of the disputed structure along with the yield of stone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated sculptures of divine couples and carved architectural members including foliage patterns, ‘amalaka’, ‘kapotapali’ doorjamb with semi-circular pilaster, broken octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus motif, circular shrine having ‘pranala’ (waterchute) in the north, 50 pillar bases in association of the huge structure, are indicative of remains which are distinctive features found associated with the temples of north India.”

Vaidyanathan said for centuries, people from across the country went on pilgrimage to Ayodhya to worship Ram Janmabhoomi and they continued to do so even after the disputed structure was built over the temple.

“This leaves no doubt whatsoever that a temple pre-existed the mosque and people, despite construction of the mosque, continued to worship the place as Ram Janmabhoomi,” he added.

He said demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992, revealed the temple slabs used for construction of the mosque. Broken pieces of these slabs with inscriptions in Sanskrit, which has been translated since then, also pointed to a temple pre-existing the mosque, the counsel said.

The counsel said for centuries, people from across the country went on pilgrimage to Ayodhya to worship Ram Janmabhoomi and they continued to do so even after the disputed structure was built over the temple.

Courtesy: TOI

Read an account of Day 1 of the arguments here.

Read an account of Day 2 of the arguments here

Read an account of Day 3 of the arguments here.

Day 4 arguments can be read here.

Arguments made on Day 5 can be read here.

Day 6 arguments can be read here

Day 7 arguments can be read here.

Read an account of Day 8 of the arguments here.

Courtesy: Bar & Bench | SCC Online.