The most awaited Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha took place today in Ayodhya. Let’s know about the people who were behind the Ram Mandir Movement for the last 500 years.
Today, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir groundbreaking ceremony marked an era-defining moment in Indian history as the decade-long better finally came to an end with the Pran Pratistha of the Lord Ram. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) Chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, and President of the Temple Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
Including these dignitaries, over 7000 people were also invited by the temple trust, which included Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Arun Govil, Deepika Chikhlia, Sunil Lahri, Mukesh Ambani, Neeta Ambani, Bhushan Kumar, Sachin Tendulkar, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Jacky Shroff, Rajnikanth, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, and Katrina Kaif. But do you know that this historic day would never have come if some key people had not sacrificed their lives for the Ram Mandir Movement?
History of Ram Mandir
1528: Demolition of the temple for the mosque
1853: Beginning of disagreement and the first petitions
1949: Pivotal movements in the temple’s movement
1980: The campaign for Ram Mandir construction takes center stage
1989: Ram Temple Foundation by the VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad)
1990: Rath Yatra by Lal Krishna Advani
1992: Demolition of Babri Masjid
2003: ASI surveys the disputed site
2010: The disputed site is divided into 3 parts
2011: A Legal battle reaches the Supreme Court
2019: The Supreme Court renders a historic verdict
2020: The foundation stone of the temple laid by PM Modi
2024: The Consecration ceremony marks a scared occasion
Ashok Singhal
In 1985, Ashok Singhal, the former President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, initiated the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement and the Ram Janki Rath Yatra. He insisted on the opening of Ram Janmabhoomi’s locks.
He initiated the Ram Janmabhoomi Kar Sewa Movement. He initiated the effort to construct a Ram Temple at the location of the Babri Masjid as soon as the lock on the “disputed premises” was opened.
Lal Krishna Advani
In September 1990, Lal Krishna Advani, who would go on to become Deputy Prime Minister, initiated the countrywide “Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra” from Somnath to Ayodhya, making him a poster child for the Hindutva movement and a symbol of Hindutva.
But because of the violence surrounding the Ram Mandir campaign and the “Rath Yatra,” he was detained by Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav at the time. The Kar Sevaks marched on to Ayodhya despite Advani’s incarceration because he had kindled the “fire of Ram” within them.
Advani was said to have been present at a “secret meeting” on December 5, 1992, where the decision to demolish the Babri Masjid was made. Then, on December 6, he informed the Kar Sevaks that this would be the last day of their Kar Seva during a speech he gave close to the Babri Masjid.
He was listed as an accused in the demolition of the Babri Masjid case. According to the charge sheet, Advani also gave Kar Sevaks instructions to obstruct the highways to prevent “central forces from reaching the Ram Janmabhoomi.”
Kothari Brothers
Witnesses claim that on October 30, 1990, Kar Sevaks Ram and Sharad Kothari lifted the saffron flap over the Babri Masjid after storming the premises with 5,000 other people. Several people were killed when the police had to start shooting to put an end to the mob’s fury.
The Kothari brothers are said to have been shot dead two days later, on November 2, 1990, when the police opened fire to “control the mob.” His family said on a website honouring the Kothari brothers that they were slain because they were leading a demonstration and attempting to get attention by planning a Ramdhuni Kitran.
K. Parasaran
Eminent Hindu scholar Parasaran, a top-notch government attorney, defended the Ram Mandir case in the Supreme Court for four or five days in a row in August 2019.
With today’s Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony, his extraordinary journey gained an additional dimension due to his affiliation with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. He was given the crucial responsibility of heading the trust in charge of the building of the illustrious Ram Temple in Ayodhya by the Central Government in 2019.
Other Prominent People Behind the Ram Mandir Movement are:
Nyas Chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das
Jagatguru Rambhadracharya Ji
Murali Manohar Joshi
K. Muhammed
