BJP, RSS want to turn Ayodhya into a modern showcase of Hindu piety

Satyendra Das was just 20 when he renounced the world and became an ascetic. In 1958, he arrived in Ayodhya to join Mahant Abhiram Das as a disciple. Abhiram, the head of the powerful Nirvani Akhara, had gained fame for placing Ram’s idol inside Babri Masjid in December 1949, a singular act which changed the course of modern Indian history. Das’s association with the Akhara was to change his life, too.

The 84-year-old Satyendra Das is now the longest serving chief priest of the Ram temple. Nine months after he took over as chief priest in March 1992, Babri Masjid was brought down in front of him. After decades of legal and political battles, Das is happy that Ram’s idol will finally find a home in a grand temple which is presently under construction.

As all legal cases in the Ram Janmabhumi dispute have been settled favourably, Das told THE WEEK about the key event which started it all. “Mahant Abhiram Das ji had kept the Ram Lalla idol inside the disputed structure on the intervening night of December 22 and 23, 1949. He told me that it was discussed among the sadhu-sants that Babri Masjid would be brought down to reclaim the Ram Janmabhumi. However, as the country had just become independent, it was thought that the demolition would cause more problems, and Hindus may not even get the temple. So they decided against demolition, but thought of taking control by placing an idol inside it,” said Das, sitting in his spartan accommodation in Ayodhya.

“Abhiram Das ji and Brindaban Das ji were appointed to undertake the job. There were two policemen on duty outside the masjid in shifts. There was a Hindu constable Sher Singh and they had spoken to him. When his shift came, they went inside and placed the idol under the middle (gumbad) dome. When the Muslim constable came for duty in the early hours of December 23, he saw the idol. By then, puja had started. And he gave a statement that Ram Lalla had appeared there.” Abhiram Das was named in the FIR registered after the incident, but the popular belief remains that the idol had appeared miraculously.

After the incident, Abhiram Das was called Ram Janmabhumi Uddarak (redeemer of Ram’s birthplace), and thus started a chain of events which was to influence the country’s political and cultural history. Ayodhya today is a key milestone in hindutva’s political journey. The BJP; its ideological mentor, the RSS; and the Vishva Hindu Parishad have been the key players and beneficiaries of the project. The once sleepy city is slowly witnessing a big change. The foundation work for the new temple is on, while the Ram idol has been shifted to a makeshift temple, reinforced with multiple layers of security.

The devotees will be able to pray inside the new Ram temple from December 2023, although the construction of the entire temple may not be over by then. The city is waiting for visitors to arrive in large numbers and revive the stagnant economy even as the state and the Central governments are trying to turn Ayodhya into a modern showcase of Hindu piety.

For Das, meanwhile, the tryst with history was accidental. After joining the Nirvani Akhara, he finished his higher education in Sanskrit and joined the Sanskrit Vidyalay as teacher in 1976. In March 1992, the Kalyan Singh government removed then chief priest Lal Das, and was looking for a non-political person with a clean image to replace him. Das was soon elevated to the post.

Recalling the fateful day of December 6, 1992, Das said the makeshift temple was closed after the bhog ritual at 11am. “People had gathered in huge numbers from across the country. The previous day they were asked to bring sand and water from the Sarayu to start construction at the chabutra (plinth). However, on December 6, they were asked to wash the chabutra. It enraged them as they were brought to perform karseva—to demolish the disputed structure. Many of them climbed up the domes. Soon locals also joined and the police withdrew from the scene. It was free for all. One by one, the three domes were brought down by 5.30pm,” he said.

After the demolition, Das and his four associates removed the Ram Lalla idol which was kept on a wooden plank and placed it under a neem tree. “By 7pm, as the ruckus subsided, a tent was erected on the flattened structure, and the idol was kept there, and the puja started from that evening.”

VHP leader Purshottam Narayan said the karsevaks were out of control and listened only to the appeals of senior BJP leader Vijaya Raje Scindia. Although they were calm for a while, they soon restarted the demolition. Other BJP leaders present included L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati.

When asked whether the demolition of the mosque was the only solution to the Ayodhya crisis, Das said there was no need for that. “It was proved in the court that the mosque had come up after demolishing the temple. The country had to pay a huge cost for bringing down the structure. Temples were targeted in India and across the world, many lives were lost. If the matter was resolved amicably, it would have benefited the Muslims more,” he said.

Das, who came to Ayodhya as a student and went on to become the chief priest of the Ram temple, has often been at odds with the VHP leadership, especially because of his outspoken nature. “The Ram temple movement used to have an impact on elections, but it is no longer there. The BJP gets the credit as the decision was made by the Supreme Court and the temple is being built when it is in power,” he said.

Das earns Rs14,500 per month as emoluments, while his four aides get Rs9,000 each and four workers Rs7,000 each. Now, the new temple management trust will decide on the new priests. Das said his time would probably be over in the near future. The new leadership seems to have new plans for the holy city.

“Ayodhya is not just for Hindus, but for everyone. Ayodhya is the first city of the universe, set up by maharaja Manu. It is the first place for moksha among the seven sacred places in the country,”

said Champat Rai, senior VHP leader and general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the body set up for the construction and management of temple after the Supreme Court verdict. “The construction of the Ram temple at his birthplace is as important as August 15, 1947 and as getting Kargil back. It is not only a cultural or spiritual issue. It symbolises that we got rid of the remnants of foreign invaders. All countries want to be free of foreign influences.”