Date:13/08/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/13/stories/2003081304171100.htm

National

VHP claims 'evidence' of temple at Ayodhya

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 12. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today claimed that the recently-concluded excavation at the disputed site in Ayodhya had shown "conclusive" evidence of the existence of a Ram temple there before the Babri masjid was built.

In a bid to counter reports that the excavation did not show any evidence of a temple at the site, the VHP got its own set of archaeologists and maps to prove that a Ram temple existed prior to the Babri masjid.

Addressing a press conference organised by the VHP, the chairman of the Indian Archaeological Society, S.P. Gupta, said the remains of a seventh century Shiva temple were found by the Archaeological Survey of India — which wrapped up its five-month-long excavation under court orders last week — on August 5.

Dr. Gupta said the excavation had also brought up five "clear" pieces of evidence that were typical to Hindu temples. "These are `amalaka' (a wheel found exclusively on temple roofs), a sculpture of a crocodile (goddess Ganga's vehicle), a `vallari' (a meandering geometrical floral motif found on temple gateways), a `purna ghata' (used in rituals) and a lotus medallion.

Further, according to Dr. Gupta — who witnessed the excavation as an observer for one of the parties to the case — 69 pillar bases had been found in addition to the six found during an earlier digging by B.B. Lal, formerly with the ASI.

"Fourteen of these pillar bases were re-used by those who built the so-called Babri masjid." Also, society members claimed that the foundation of the mosque had been laid by cutting the floor of the temple and its pillar bases.

Though senior VHP leaders, Ashok Singhal and Giriraj Kishore, were present at the press conference, they preferred to take a back seat.

To a question on what the VHP expected of the Government given the BJP leadership's reluctance to do anything to upset the NDA dispensation, Mr. Singhal said: "That is for the Government to decide. We just wanted to focus on the excavations to show that there was no truth in reports of there being no evidence of a temple at the site."