January 22, 2024 will mark a historic day in the annals of history of Bharat. After five centuries of wait, Ram Lalla is all set to return to Ayodhya as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the grand Sri Ram Mandir in the holy city. The book Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Bharat’s Quest for Ram-Rajya by noted academician and activist Swadesh Singh is a timely intervention that traces the journey of Ayodhya from ancient to the modern times. It highlights various aspects and challenges faced in the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and establishes how the reconstruction of the temple marks not only a new phase of cultural awakening but also ushers in a new wave of economic development in Ayodhya. The book is structured into five chapters. The first chapter titled ‘Along the Saryu, Lies the Invincible’ examines the history of Ayodhya over time. This chapter begins by tracing the lineage of Bhagwan Sri Ram and examines how Ayodhya developed into a major pilgrimage centre due to its association with Prabhu Sri Ram in the ancient period. A brief history of Ayodhya under the Sultanate and Mughal period is then examined. It was during the attack of Mughal invader Babar that the Ram Janmasthan Temple was ruined and a mosque built in its place. The chapter shows that it was right from the era of Mughals that the Hindu struggled to regain their sacred site of Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. The second chapter titled ‘The Long Haul’ examines how the struggle of Hindus reclaiming the sacred site gained momentum since the 19th century tracing the formal documentation of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi conflict.
A comprehensive narration of the Ayodhya dispute since the 19th century is provided here and will enable the reader to understand the various facets of the origins of the legal struggle for the reclamation of the Sri Ram Temple. This chapter also features a section on the sources of a demolished temple in Ayodhya under which the Persian and Urdu sources, and the accounts of foreign travellers and British administrators are examined. The readers will find useful information in this section. Thereafter, the struggle for Sri Ram Temple post-Independence is examined. The sub-section in this chapter ‘The Ram Temple Movement takes momentum’ provides an account of the quest for liberation for Ram Janambhoomi acquired the shape of a popular mass movement in the 1980s. The trajectory of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement has also been looked upon examining the political trends, in particular in the last two decades of the 20th century. The third chapter titled ‘The Verdict’ looks at the historic judgements that were pronounced by the Indian courts and how they exercised an impact on the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement.
The first chapter titled ‘Along the Saryu, Lies the Invincible’ examines how Ayodhya developed into a major pilgrimage centre due to its association with Prabhu Sri Ram in the ancient period
The 2010 judgement of the Allahabad High Court and the 2019 historic Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya are examined in detail. The chapter then mentions the prominent responses to the 2019 Supreme Court verdict. Indeed, the author rightly asserts that the Supreme Court’s decision on the proposed Sri Ram Temple construction was a “momentous occasion that brought together people from all walks of life, underlining the significance of unity in diversity … (and) signified the triumph of dialogue, judicial wisdom, and collective determination, demonstrating India’s commitment to upholding its secular fabric while respecting the cultural and religious sentiments of its citizens”.
The fourth chapter titled ‘Verdict to Vision’ examines how post the historic 2019 Supreme Court verdict, the pace of temple construction picked up. The formation and the role of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kheshtra Trust and the launch of the donation drive for the Temple have been discussed. Events following the Bhoomi Pujan performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2020 to the preparations for the Pran Pratishta have been chronicled. The chapter also describes in detail the architectural features of the newly constructed Sri Ram Temple. The fifth chapter titled ‘Echoes of Treta in Ayodhya: Ancient Legacy, Modern Transformations’ mentions not only how Ayodhya is being transformed into a major tourist destination, but also examines how the sacred city is getting equipped with the latest state-of-the art infrastructure, what the author terms as “Ayodhya’s journey into modernity, marked by a harmonious blend of tradition and progress”. The author writes: “Ayodhya is not merely evolving. It is embracing the future while cherishing its timeless traditions”. The construction of the Sri Ram Temple is an outcome of a struggle of more than five centuries. The book comprehensively covers all aspects associated with this struggle – historical, legal and social. n
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