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Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (translation: Ram Birthplace Trust) is an organisation which was formed as a trust to promote and oversee the construction of a temple in Ayodhya, India at the Ram Janmabhoomi, the reputed site of the birth of the Hindu deity Rama.[1] The Nyas was formed by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council).[1]
On 9 November 2019, the Supreme Court of India ruled to constitute a Trust to build a temple on the entire 2.77 acres of the land by Central Government not this Nyas. On 5 February 2020, the Central Government constituted the trust named Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra which is headed by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.[2]
In Hindu tradition, the birthplace of the deity Rama, known as "Ram Janmabhoomi", is considered a holy site. This site is often believed to be located in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, at the place where the Babri Masjid stood. Historical evidence to support this belief is scarce, and several historians have stated that Ayodhya became a religious centre with a number of temples only in the 18th century AD.[3][4][5] Following the Mughal conquest of the region in 1528, Mughal general Mir Baqi built a mosque named the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. According to hearsay, Baqi destroyed a pre-existing temple of Rama at the site. Limited historical evidence exists to support this theory, and the existence of the temple itself is a matter of controversy.[4][5][6] Numerous historians have stated that there is limited evidence to support the notion that Rama was born at the precise location of the Babri Masjid, or that a temple to Rama once stood at the site.[3] The first recorded claim that the mosque stood on the site of Rama's birth was made in 1822.[4] Citing this claim, the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu sect, laid claim to the mosque, resulting in inter-communal violence in the period 1853–55.[4] In 1949, an idol of Rama was surreptitiously placed inside the mosque,[7] and an attempt was made to convince devotees that it had appeared miraculously.[8] An official investigation concluded that the mosque had been desecrated and the idol placed there by three men, together with a large band of supporters.[4] In the 1980s, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lent its support to an agitation to build a temple to Rama at the site of the Babri Masjid, and the mosque was attacked and demolished in December 1992 during a rally organised by the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.[8]
The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) was founded as an independent trust by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad on 25 January 1993 to take charge of the site of Ram Janmabhoomi and oversee the construction of the proposed Rama temple.[1][9] Ramchandra Paramhans was head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, succeeded upon his death in 2003 by Nritya Gopal Das.[10] Its members argued that the Nyas was created so that the Government of India would not control the site and end up involving itself in the construction of the temple.[1] The RJN also operates workshops in Karsevakpuram (City of Volunteers), a major encampment of volunteer activists (called Karsevaks) outside Ayodhya preparing to undertake the construction of the temple.[9]
It has been suggested that a temple to Rama formerly existed at the same site as the Babri Masjid, an idea supported by a court-ordered report of the Archaeological Survey of India following archaeological excavations around the ruins of the mosque, though the existence of this temple and the conclusions of the report are disputed.[11][12] The Allahabad High Court, based on the report by the Archeological Survey of India ruled that the disputed site should be split into three parts, with one-third going to the Muslim Sunni Waqf Board, another third to the Nirmohi Akhara and the rest to Ram Lalla Virajman with the right to sue and be sued as a juristic person.[13] However, the RJN claimed that it was the rightful party to take possession of the land and said it would appeal to the Supreme Court of India to seek possession of the entire site.[14]
The final hearing in the Supreme Court ended on 16 October 2019. The bench reserved the final judgment and granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on 'moulding of relief' or narrowing down the issues on which the court is required to adjudicate.[15]
The final judgement in the Supreme Court was officially declared on 9 November 2019.[16] The Supreme Court dismisses the claim of Sunni Waqf Board and ordered that a trust to be made by the Government of India which be building the Temple. On 5 February 2020, the government announced the creation of the trust to be known as Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.[17] On 5 August 2020, Ram Mandir Bhoomi-poojan was performed in the presence of RSS Chief, Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.