the problem of ayodhya

The small town of Ayodhya, located in the state of Utar pradesh, has been the scene of violent altercations between Muslims and Hindus for a long time. This article lists the root causes of conflict and traces the chronology of events.

The beginning of the conflict at Ayodhya dates back to 1528 A.D., the year when Mir Baqi, a Muslim General in Moghul Emperor Babur's army, dismantled an 11th-century Hindu temple marking what some believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity, Lord Rama. He then had the Babri Masjid constructed over the site. Hindus and Muslims continued to dispute the site's rightful ownership. Communal rioting broke out in the year 1855, and nearly a hundred people died in the violence.

Subsequent riots in 1934 damaged the mosque, which was later repaired. After Hindus raided and took over the mosque in December 1949, the government locked up the building and declared it off limits. The following year, Hindus and Muslims both petitioned the courts for possession. After over three decades the mosque reopened in 1986; during the same time groundbreaking ceremonies were held for a Hindu temple to be built adjacent to the mosque. Riots broke out shortly afterward, during which 600 people died. Hundreds were killed in another outburst that occurred in 1990. 

On December 6th of 1992, a large crowd of several thousands of Hindus gathered at Ayodhya in protest and a pandemonium ensued. In the chaos, some who had gathered started destroying the mosque and within nine hours, the 464 year old mosque was brought down entirely. The volunteers only used hand tools and metal rods, and several got injured in the process. After police finally drove away the attackers with clubs (lathis) and tear gas, the mob then decided to destroy other Muslim structures, looting and burning about 270 Muslim homes and destroying  other local mosques. Eventually, rioting spread to at least 1,000 villages throughout India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. More than 1,100 were dead and 4,000 injured. Hindu temples were destroyed in Muslim dominated areas.

Hundreds more perished in subsequent rioting that erupted in Mumbai.

The ill-will generated from Ayodhya was to erupt ten years later, in year 2002 in what is known as "Gujarat Massacre" when a number of Hindus and especially Muslims were killed in the ethnic violence.

Quotations of Mahatma Gandhi

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.”

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

“There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

“We must become the change we want to see.”

“What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea.”

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

“My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”

“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles”

“You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.”

“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.”

“The most heinous and the most cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives”

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems”

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Prakash Karat

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Narendra Damodardas modi

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Narayan murthy

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Nandan Nilekani

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Mukesh Ambani

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Dr.Manmohan singh

From playing an instrumental role in the passing of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement to pulling up the sagging fortune of the Congress party, Dr Manmohan Singh has been pivotal in India's rise to a global power. During his tenure as the Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh initiated many economic reforms in India which resulted in the end of the infamous Licence Raj system in 1991. Even thou his adversaries have called him the weakest prime minister the country has ever had, Manmohan Singh has been widely credited in propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.

L K Adavani

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Lalit Modi

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L.N.Mittal

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Indra K. Nooyi

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Azim Premji

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Dr.anil kakodkar

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anil ambani

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aiswarya rai

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vijay mallaya

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sunil mittal

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sonia gandhi

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shahrukh khan

Known as the 'King' of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan is one of the few who has made a successful transition from television serials to films. He gave us memorable flicks like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Om Shanti Om to name a few. In 2008, 'Newsweek' named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world. The marketing rights of his latest flick 'My Name Is Khan' has been bagged by Fox Studios for Rs 1 bn. SRK has been felicitated with many awards including 'Padma Shri'. He also owns the 'Kolkata Knight Riders' in the Indian Premier League. He is the new face of India across the world and has made a mark with his hard work and sheer charm.

sachin tendulakar

'If cricket is religion, then Sachin is God', is enough to describe what Sachin Tendulkar is to his fans all over the world. The Master Blaster has been the pioneer of cricket and arguably one of the best batsmen in the world of cricket. He is the highest run-maker in both the One-Day Internationals and Test version of the game with highest number of centuries and he is raring for more. The little master has been the nemesis for bowlers all over the world and continues to haunt them on any surface. His ability to play according to the situation makes him almost perfect.