A review of the book 'The Battle For Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya' written by Dr. Meenakshi Jain.
For over two decades, a handful of Left historians have strenuously endeavoured to stymie the Ramjanmabhumi movement. From questioning the antiquity of Rama worship and the identity of ancient Ayodhya, they have also challenged the widely held belief that Babri Masjid was built on the site of the Janmabhumi temple.
Excavations of the ASI revealed uninterrupted occupation of the site since the 13th century BCE. They also exposed remnants of the temple on which Babri Masjid was erected. The assertions of Left historians on Babri Masjid have all been found to be erroneous; yet there has been no public retraction. Indeed, they continue to peddle their discredited theories despite the mounting evidence against them.
Order links of the book 'The Battle For Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya' below:
Amazon India:
Hardcover
Amazon USA:
Hardcover
Flipkart:
Hardcover
Aryan Books:
Hardcover
And please don't forget to checkout Historylogy.com for latest book reviews and tidbits from the pages of history.
Please feel free to our social media ID's for latest updates. Links below:
https://www.facebook.com/historylogy/
https://twitter.com/historylogy
https://www.instagram.com/historylogy/
Affiliate Earnings Disclaimer:
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Coming up: A review of the book 'The Battle For Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya' written by Dr. Meenakshi Jain.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the author or publisher.
Little bit about the author:
Meenakshi Jain is a historian interested in cultural and religious developments in Indian history. In 2020, she was awarded Padma Sri by the Government of India for her contributions to the field of literature and education. Her recent publications include The Hindus of Hindustan (2023); Vasudeva Krishna and Mathura (2021); Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples (2019); The Battle for Rama: Case of the Temple at Ayodhya (2017); Sati: Evangelicals, Baptist Missionaries and the Changing Colonial Discourse (2016); and Rama and Ayodhya (2013).
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
For over two decades, a handful of Left historians have strenuously endeavoured to stymie the Ramjanmabhumi movement. From questioning the antiquity of Rama worship and the identity of ancient Ayodhya, they have also challenged the widely held belief that Babri Masjid was built on the site of the Janmabhumi temple.
Scholars have, however, traced the antiquity of the Rama Katha as far back as sixth-fifth century BCE, when ancient ballads (akhyanas) transmitted Rama’s story orally. Valmiki’s Ramayana itself has been dated to the fourth-third century BCE. Over the centuries, Rama’s story has been re-told in many vernaculars of the country. Rama is the exemplar of moral values for Hindu society and epitomises its aspirations of artha, kama, and above all, dharma.
The proceedings of the Allahabad High Court have exposed the vulnerabilities of Left historians. They could proffer no evidence of continued Muslim presence at Babri Masjid, while the unwavering commitment of Hindu devotees to the site has been attested by several sources. Babri Masjid was not mentioned in the revenue records of the Nawabi and British periods, nor was any Waqf ever created for its upkeep. No Muslim filed an FIR or complained of dispossession or obstruction in his alleged use of the Masjid when the image of Sri Rama was placed under the central dome on 23rd December 1949. The Sunni Central Waqf Board entered litigation on 18th December 1961, just five days before the twelfth anniversary of the placement of the image in the Masjid, on which date any claim would have become time-barred. The Board did not file a suit for possession; instead it sought a declaration on the status of the property.
Further, excavations of the ASI revealed uninterrupted occupation of the site since the 13th century BCE. They also exposed remnants of the temple on which Babri Masjid was erected. The assertions of Left historians on Babri Masjid have all been found to be erroneous; yet there has been no public retraction. Indeed, they continue to peddle their discredited theories despite the mounting evidence against them.
UNQUOTE
Last week, on the 23rd of March, I had published the review of the book ‘Rama and Ayodhya’ written by the same author i.e. Dr. Meenakshi Jain. This book will seem like a stripped down version of the book limited to the case for the temple at Ayodhya.
Some of the interesting things I came across in this wonderful book:
1st ─ Shri K. K. Muhammed, former Regional Director (North) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has stated in his autobiography that a set of Left historians systematically derailed attempts at a peaceful resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid issue. He writes,
QUOTE
A team of Left historians in Jawaharlal Nehru University such as Romila Thapar, Bipin Chandra, and S. Gopal argued that there was no mention of the dismantling of the temple before the nineteenth century and Ayodhya was a Buddhist-Jain centre. Historians such as Irfan Habib, R. S. Sharma, Athar Ali, D. N. Jha, Suraj Bhan, too joined and it became a big grouping.
The “Leftist drama,” he states,
…instilled courage and gave false hopes to the BMAC. This resulted in a reversal of the thought process amongst Muslims who had till then, been pondering wholeheartedly about giving back the mosque and settling the matter amicably. They came to a renewed conclusion that the mosque will not be given…
UNQUOTE
2nd ─ The construction of mosques on sites associated with non-Islamic traditions was a new beginning for Babur. Before his conquest of India, he had claimed his right to sovereignty on grounds of his Timurid heritage and Turkishness, not religion. But once he had established himself in India, the establishment of Islam became an objective of his rule. He referred to Hindus as kafirs, and termed the war against Rana Sanga, as jihad, holy war. Soon after defeating Rana Sanga, he assumed the title of Ghazi, a soldier committed to the cause of Islam, and wrote a verse declaring his intent to overpower Hindus and pagans. He thereby conformed to the long-established practices of Muslim rulers conquering non-Muslims lands.The location of the mosques at Sambhal and Ayodhya, in generally charged locales, was in conformity with the spirit of Babur’s new legitimizing idiom.
3rd ─ Left historian Professor R. S. Sharma was categorical that there was “not a shred of historical evidence” to support the view that a Rama temple was built in Ayodhya in the eleventh-twelfth centuries. There was “nothing to show that a Rama temple was demolished and a mosque raised in its place.” Professor Sharma lamented that “a lover of Hindu art and architecture (Babur) should be credited with the destruction of a Rama temple, which, in any case, did not exist.” He, too, wanted Babri Masjid to be treated “as a national monument.”
4th ─ Left historians have questioned the identification of present day Ayodhya with the Ayodhya of ancient times, which they have located in Afghanistan and even Egypt.
And I would like to finished off on this wonderful note:
Rama while showing his city to the vanaras, Sugriva, Angada, and Vibhishana said,
QUOTE
… Although all have extolled Vaikuntha (my divine Abode), which is familiar to the Vedas and the Puranas and known throughout the world, it is not so dear to Me as the city of Ayodhya: only some rare soul knows this secret. This beautiful city is My birthplace; to the north of it flows the holy Saryu, by bathing in which men secure a home near Me without any difficulty. The dwellers here are very dear to me; the city is not only full of bliss itself but bestows a residence in My divine Abode.
UNQUOTE
The vanaras were all delighted to hear these words of the Lord and said, “Blessed indeed is Ayodhya, that has evoked praise from Sri Rama himself!”
The book is in hardcover format and also has 23 colour plates and has a total of sixty one illustrations showing old paintings of Ayodhya, the Alamgiri mosque, Babri Masjid, Babur’s mosque at Panipat, Mir Hindu Beg’s mosque at Sambhal and various sketches and drawings by other painters. Also, photos of some finds from the ASI excavations at Babri Masjid.
This book was first published in 2017 and since then a lot has changed in India and to be specific, in Ayodhya. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra was inaugurated on the 22nd of January, 2024. Some credit for this should also go to authors like Dr. Meenakshi Jain for creating awareness of the case amongst the general public.
I give the book 4.75/5 and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the history of the Ramjanmabhumi/Babri Masjid dispute and the verdict.
The printed price of the book is Rs. 595/- but is available for around Rs. 495/- on Amazon India and for Rs. 585/- + shipping charge of Rs. 69/- on Flipkart. But I highly recommend that you buy the book from the publisher Aryan Books website where it is available for only Rs. 445/- with excellent packaging and free shipping. And it is available for $32.95 USD on Amazon USA. The book is not available in Kindle or Audible format. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
Last but not the least, thank you for spending your valuable time listening to this book review. Really grateful. Please don't forget to subscribe to the Historylogy podcast on your favourite podcasting app and also feel free to leave a review. Also, please check historylogy.com for all previous episodes. Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you. Take care and bye!