Former Director of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Padma Shri, K K Mohammad said that 20 such archaeological evidences were found at the Ayodhya site which proved that once there was a grand temple there. Delving into the past when temples were razed down by Muslim invaders, K K Mohammad said that Muslims should admit that mistakes happened in the past but for them, today’s Muslims were not responsible. He was of the view that Muslims should have voluntarily handed over the controversial land for building of temple. Mohammad was addressing the lecture series on “Role of Archaeology in National Identity” at Dattopant Thengadi Research Institution of Bhopal on Saturday.

 

Shedding light on the excavations carried out in different time periods at thr controversial site of Ayodhya, Mohammad said that scores of terracotta statues apart from ‘Magar Pranala’ were found beneath the mosque and these were enough evidence that earlier temple existed. In initial excavation, 12 pillars were found and later 50 more pillars were found.

 

“Along with this, more than 263 statues, stone inscription dedicated to Lord Vishnu and many other things substantiating the existence of temple were found,” claimed KK Mohammad. “The stone inscription found at the disputed site talks about Vishnu who killed Bali and a ten-headed person,” he told.

 

He also informed that when communists tried to waylay people on Ram Temple existence, to give them befitting reply, he penned down an article, giving every detail which pointed towards the existence of temple. However, Communists and historians of Jawaharlal Nehru University tried to create the confusion by asserting that he was not part of excavation team led by famous archaeologist B B Lal. At that time B B Lal was abroad and from there, he issued statement that he was with him in excavation expedition.

 

“The design of pillars found at the site carried out various features used in temple pillars,” he said. He also showed the pictures of statues found at the excavation site and said that no mosque could have relics of living beings. Traversing into the past when Muslim rulers invaded the country and destroyed the temples to construct mosques, he told that some mistakes happened in 11th century and Muslims have to concede them. However for those mistakes, present Muslims are not responsible. But if they stand in support of those mistakes then they will get involved in that sin.

 

Opining that Muslims should have voluntarily handed over the disputed land for temple, he told that he himself tried to convince Muslims in this regard, then some Muslims even became ready but historians like Irfan Habib muddled up all such efforts. He said that historical books are also testimony of many things. In “Ain-I-Akbari” book, Abu Fazal told that at the concerned place, in Chaitra Month, Hindu pilgrims used to visit there but there is no mention of mosque. He stressed that it is the need of the hour that all sections of society should come forward to make India a strong country. On this occasion, he also condemned the protests done against Muslim scholar who was expert of Sanskrit at Banaras Hindu University.