The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

succeeded in unlocking the com-
pound’s gates so that Hindus could
worshipthere, though observers called
the action a clear bid to attract the
Hindu vote.
Pressure throughout the 1980s, cul-
minated in a series of campaigns to
begin construction of a new temple at
Ram Janam Bhumi. Many of these cam-
paigns coincided with national elec-
tions, and the emotion that they
generated boosted the electoral fortunes
of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), a
political group with close links to the
VHP. The final campaign came on
December 6, 1992, a day that was sched-
uled to have “symbolic” meaning, and
ended a little over five hours later with
the mosque’s demolition. The whole
operation was carefully planned—
demolition crews ordered the destruc-
tion of all television cameras prior to
leveling the building in order to prevent
any media coverage by outsiders. The
razing was also carried out with the
blessing of the BJP-led state government,
which made no attempt to protect the
temple. Riots ensued, particularly in the

city of Bombay, where over three

thousand people were killed, most of

them Muslims.

Even after the destruction of the

Babri Masjid, the site remained an area

of contention between Muslims and

Hindus. Immediately after the demoli-

tion, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao

promised to rebuild the mosque but did

nothing to accomplish this during the

next five years he was in office.

Meanwhile, various Hindu groups have

been calling for the construction of a

Ram Janam Bhumi temple, including

traditional religious leaders such as the

Shankaracharyas. Seeing nothing but

trouble ahead, the government again

sent the matter to the courts for resolu-

tion, where it remains to this day and

may remain for decades to come. For

further information see Christophe

Jaffrelot, The Hindu Nationalist

Movement in India, 1996.

Ram Lila

Any public dramatic presentation of the

Ramayana, the earlier of the two great

Hindu epics. The epic’s basic plot

Ram Lila

An effigy of Ravana from the Ram Lila, a dramatic presentation of the Ramcharitmanas.