(^100) "Presenting" the Past
Ramarajya around the Babri Masjid with fear and hatred, the Hindutva
elements effectively rallied it around the country, agitating Hindus and
isolating Muslims through various political and religious rallies. In May
1983 the Dharmasthan Mukti Yagna Samiti sent a memorandum to the
prime minister, demanding the restoration of the holy shrines of Vara-
nasi, Mathura, and Ayodhya. A year later, on July 27,1984, Sri Ram Janma
Bhoomi Mukti Yagna Samiti was formed to "liberate" the Ayodhya shrine.
On October 7 that year, hundreds of thousands of devotees assembled on
the banks of the Sarayu River in Ayodhya and took a pledge to liberate the
shrine. The very next day, a 130-kilometer march was started from Ayod-
hya to Lucknow, the state capital, administering the pledge to the crowds
on the way. From October 15 to 31 Sri Rama Janaki Ratha toured the main
towns of UP to mobilize public opinion and to administer the pledge. Some
5,000 telegrams, 65,000 signatures, and 31,000 letters were sent to the UP
government in order to press the demand. Having suspended the agita-
tion following Indira Gandhi's assassination and the general elections, the
VHP resumed it by giving an ultimatum to the government until March 6,
- The second Dharma Sansad, held at Udupi, Karnataka, constituted
a working committee to enlist support of all groups for the agitation. The
VHP also raised a volunteer corps known as Bajrang Dal in every town
and village of UP. On October 23,1985, seven rathas went all over UP and
North Bihar to propagate the message of the Samiti.
On December 7-13, 1988, the VHP organized Rama-Janaki Rathayatra
in Bhopal to create Hindu awareness on the Ramjanmabhumi issue. On
September 17-22, 1989, Indraprastha Dharma Yatra started from Delhi
with 1,850 sants and traveled 20 to 25 kilometers a day to various places
in order to spread the "message" of Ramjanmabhumi. On November 10,
1989, a shilanyas (foundation-laying ceremony) was conducted at Ayodhya
with about 150,000 consecrated bricks from different parts of the world.
From August 21 to September 15,1990, various Dharma Yatras were con-
ducted in several parts of the country, and Rama Sankeertana Samitis
were constituted. On September 1, 1990, Sri Rama Jyoti (Ram light) was
lit at Ayodhya. On September 25, 1990, L.K. Advani started his 10,000-
kilometer rathyatra from Somnath to Ayodhya so as to participate in the
karseva on October 30. Sword-brandishing Rajput youth and the activists
of the BJP, VHP, and Bajrang Dal led the rath and rent the air with Hin-
dutva cries.^109
On September 28, 1990, sants went on yatras in different parts of the
country From that day onward, until October 10,1990, devotional hymns
were sung in front of Sri Rama Jyotis installed in the temples around the
country. As many as 800 of the 7,000 jyotis were lit in UP.^110 When Advani
was arrested and the rathyatra stopped on October 23,1990, the BJP spon-
sored total strikes around the country. On October 30,1990, the karsevaks
ascended the domes of Babri Masjid and hoisted saffron flags. On Novem-