Book review : [recenzija] : Jha, Krishna and Jha, Dhirendra K. Ayodhya: The Dark Night. The Secret History of Rama’s Appearance in Babri Masjid

Abstract

The demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 2002 by the Hindu fundamentalists is undoubtedly a soaring wound of contemporary India, a culmination of the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in 1980s, and an embodiment of destructive communalism that has been one of the foremost political problems in India since late 19th century. It was (and still is) widely believed that the birthplace of Lord Rama (Ram Janmabhoomi), one of most revered deities particularly in North India, was at the exact spot where Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty built a mosque in 16th century by destroying a temple that allegedly stood there. 1980s saw the rise of the so-called communal politics focused on the tensions between Hindus and Muslims, spearheaded by Hindu right-wing organizations, most prominently Rashtrya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatya Janata Party. A central issue was to rebuild the temple commemorating the birthplace of Rama, which simultaneously meant the destruction of the mosque. Much has been written about the causes of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in 1980s, its rise to popularity and its mass appeal. Similarly, much has been written on the aftermath of the destruction of the mosque – on the riots that followed, on rising communal tensions, on the widening gap between the Hindus and the Muslims, slipping once again beyond proportions in 2002 in Gujarat. Problems emanating from the Babri Masjid dispute are still very much an everyday political reality in India, periodically resulting in bloodshed between Hindus and Muslims (not to mention the fact that these are always politically motivated and orchestrated for a precisely political ends)