Earlier, the Hindu side had claimed the existence of a massive public structure on the disputed site. Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, who appeared for the deity, said that this public structure was a Vishnu temple.
Connecting the dots in the Ayodhya title suit case, the lawyers representing Lord Ram submitted proof in the Supreme Court on Tuesday that a temple existed at the site prior to the construction of the Babri Masjid in the 16th century. The evidence was a stone slab with an inscription in Sanskrit, dating back to the 12th century. The inscription spoke about a Vishnu temple at the site, believed to be built by King Govinda Chandra, ruler of Saket Mandala. Ayodhya was the capital of Saket Mandala.
Earlier, the Hindu side had claimed the existence of a massive public structure on the disputed site. Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, who appeared for the deity, said that this public structure was a Vishnu temple.
Vaidyanathan also submitted artefacts uncovered by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during excavations at the site as evidence — engravings of crocodiles, turtles, lotus, falcons, lions on pillars and walls. He supplied evidence to establish that the crocodile is considered the vehicle of the deity personifying the river Ganga and the tortoise represents the river Yamuna in Hinduism.
Vaidyanathan then read out witness statements from the Muslim party suits, made before Allahabad High Court which confirmed such images are not found in Islamic structures or mosques.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer asked whether the other parties in the case questioned the authenticity of the Sanskrit inscription.
‘Solid’ Proof
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Lawyers representing Lord Ram submitted a stone slab with inscription in Sanskrit
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Inscription speaks of a Vishnu temple built by King Govinda Chandra in 12th century
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| Other proofs included artefacts recovered by the ASI during excavations at the site |
| Engravings of tortoise and crocodiles — considered holy in Hinduism — were found on walls and pillars |
Vaidyanathan said that the Muslim parties had not questioned the inscription's meaning nor its authenticity before high courts. The only challenge was whether it was recovered from the disputed site. ASI is currently in custody of evidence needed to authenticate this.
To buttress his point, Vaidyanathan read out a testimonial from a journalist working for Panchjanya magazine, who claims to have seen the slab fall from the west side of the Babri Masjid at the time of its demolition on December 6, 1992.
The senior counsel presented further evidence in the form of testimonies from Muslims in the area, who said that while namaz was offered at the mosque, puja, darshan and parikrama would be performed by devout Hindus who attached divinity to the place as the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Vaidyanathan requested the court to acknowledge that there were seldom road or rail routes or bridges (over rivers) to the disputed site in pre-modern times. Yet devout Hindus undertook the arduous pilgrimage to Ayodhya. "This indicates the level of faith and belief Hindus attached to this place, unlike the pilgrimages of recent times which are more like a picnic where we fly in and fly back the same day," said Vaidyanathan.
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