Where Eternity Stands Poised

 

The main gopuram of Chidambaram Natarajar temple. Image By M lakshmanan at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5761761

The Deity of the Chidambaram Temple

It is highly gratifying for a seeker to see an idol in human form made of some earthly material, visible even though only faintly kept in semi darkness, exuding Divine Peace, Certitude, and Force. That's the experience one gets standing before the sanctum sanctorum of the Thillai Nataraja Temple of Chidambaram. The deity, Lord Nataraja is made of a sacred metal alloy known as Panchaloha, which combines gold, copper, tin, zinc, and silver. 

The full name of the temple and its meaning

The traditional name of the temple is Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja-koothan Kovil. The temple and the town were once in the midst of Thillai trees and they extend from the nearby Pichavaram wetlands, the second largest mangrove forest in the world, to the temple area. The shrine is venerated as Thillai Ambalam, literally meaning 'the open stage of Thillai'. The name of the town of this shrine, chit-ambara means 'ether of consciousness' or 'atmosphere of wisdom' in the Sanskrit language. 'Koothan' means a traditional dancer and 'Kovil', a temple, in Tamil. There is a reference to the temple or the town in Sangam literature of the first to fifth centuries. 

The architects and patrons of the ancient temple

The temple structures, mainly the inner parts of them as they stand now, were likely built in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the Chola dynasty's capital. There were probably a smaller structures made of wood or stone during the preceding centuries or millennia. The Sangam classics, generally dated between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D., refer to Viduvelvidugu Perumtaccan, a respected clan of traditional Vishwakarmas, as being the chief architect of the temple renovation. The temple complex is spread over an area of 40 acres (160,000 m²) in the heart of the city. The golden tiled roof for the Chitrambalam (the vimana) was laid by the Chola King Parantaka I (907-950 CE). Donations of gold and jewels have been made by various kings, rulers and patrons to the temple from the 9th to the 16th century. 

The significance of Indian sacred architecture

Many Indians of the present times fail to grasp the significance of the architecture of Hindu temples, most of which are creations since the ancient and mediaeval age. The following excerpt from Sri Aurobindo's book "The Renaissance in India" might help.  

 Indian sacred architecture of whatever date, style or dedication goes back to something timelessly ancient and now outside India almost wholly lost, something which belongs to the past, and yet it goes forward too, though this the rationalistic mind will not easily admit, to something which will return upon us and is already beginning to return, something which belongs to the future. An Indian temple, to whatever godhead it may bebuilt, is in its inmost reality an altar raised to the divine Self, a house of the Cosmic Spirit, an appeal and aspiration to the Infinite. As that and in the light of that seeing and conception it must in the first place be understood, and everything else must be seen in that setting and that light, and then only can there be any real understanding. No artistic eye however alert and sensible and no aesthetic mind however full and sensitive can arrive at that understanding, if it is attached to a Hellenised conception of rational beauty or shuts itself up in a materialised or intellectual interpretation and fails to open itself to the great things here meant by a kindred close response to some touch of the cosmic consciousness, some revelation of the greater spiritual self, some suggestion of the Infinite.

Shiva in the words of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother

On Shiva, Sri Aurobindo wrote, "Shiva is the Eternal’s Personality of Force; through him all is created, through his passion, through his rhythm, through his concentration"(1).The Mother (of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville) said Shiva is the god of transformation, the one who hastens evolution (2). The Mother was the incarnation of  Supreme Shakti and she was visited, by many gods and goddesses in their subtle bodies. The following are the Mother's words on Shiva's visit in 1926: "He was standing in my room that day, so tall (laughing) that his head touched the ceiling! He was bathed in his own special light, a play of red and gold... magnificent! Just as he is when he manifests his supreme consciousness – a formidable being!" (3). According to The Mother, Shiva had a human body in the past (4). 

A temple that has successfully resisted takevoer attempts by governments

Most temples in India were taken under govt. control during the British colonial rule. They continued to remain under govt. control after India became independent in 1947. In the recent decades there have been allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds and properties of the temples by politicians and  government employees who are in control. Some Hindu activists have been demanding the return of the temples to Hindus. The Chidambaram temple is one of the exceptions as it is still managed by a community of priests known as Dikshitars who have resisted the takeover attampts through legal battles since 1885 during the British rule. The huge temple premises are maintained clean, and there is free distribution of food offered to the divine (prasad) to all visiting devotees multiple times daily. There are no queues for the general public or VIPs as in many big temples administered by the government, but Rs. 1500/- is required by the priests in charge there to ascend the central hall and get closer to the sanctum sanctorum. 

The legal battles for control of the temple

An account of the legal battles against govt. takeover of the Chidambaram Temple, by 'Madras Local History Group', Facebook:

One of the earliest documented incidents relating to the status of Chidambaram Natarajar temple or Sabanayagar temple as it is officially known dates back to 1885. The Dikshitars or the priest community who administered the temple approached the Madras High Court to designate the temple as a private one. The judges, Muthuswami Iyer and J.J. Sheppard, after hearing the arguments, made it clear that the Chidambaram temple was a place of public worship and not a private property of the Dikshitars. 

When the Hindu Religious Endowments Board was created and the relevant Act was passed in 1925, the Dikishitars appealed to the government to exempt the temple from the Board schemes. Though the government accepted the appeal, it informed the dikshitars that sections of the Act relating to submission of accounts and formulation of administrative schemes would apply. In 1933, the government tried to streamline the management of the temple by proposing a committee comprising nine Dikshitars. This committee, in turn, was to appoint a manager subject to the approval of the HR and CE board, maintain accounts, properties, and account for cash offerings.

The Dikshitars challenged this scheme, but the High Court Bench upheld it in 1939 with minor modification. However, the Madras government did not pursue the proposal. In 1951, the government wanted to abolish private temples in the State. It appointed an executive officer to oversee the Natarajar temple administration. The Diksihitars challenged this. The Madras High Court, in its judgment in 1959, held that the Natarajar temple belongs to a religious denomination, and, hence the appointment of an executive officer was “opposed to the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 26 and 27 of the constitution.” The Court also found the government order “bad on the merits.” Following this, the government appealed to the Supreme Court, but withdrew it later.

In 1982, the government, citing reasons of mismanagement, issued notice to the temple and proposed to appoint an executive officer to manage its affairs. When the Dikishitars appealed, the government defended its decision stating that the appointment of an officer was only to administer the properties. It would not to interfere in religious rights of the priests, it argued. The Dikshiatrs moved the court in 1984. When the court dismissed their petition in 1997, they filed an appeal.

The court then directed them to file a revision petition with the government. When the petition was rejected in 2006, the Dikishitars approached the court again.

After hearing both sides, the single judge of the High Court, in 2009, passed orders upholding the appointment of executive officer. Citing the Supreme Court cases since the 1950s, the court ruled that the Dikshidars “are not entitled to the protection” as a denomination temple in the matter of administration. It also held that the State can intervene and regulate administration.

The Dikshitars appealed against this judgment. At this time, three more people including Subramania Swamy impleaded themselves in the case. The Madras High Court Bench heard the appeal and upheld the orders of the Single Judge. The Dikshitars then appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Temple belongs to the deity, rules the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India quashed the 2009 Tamil Nadu government order that appointed an executive officer to manage the temple, affirming that the Dikshithars have the right to manage the temple as a religious denomination under Article 26 [Constitution of India]. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple belongs to the deity of the temple, Lord Nataraja. The judgment clarified that while the temple is a public place of worship, its administration should be handled by the traditional managers rather than the state government.

A snapshot of the geography & history of Chidambaram town

Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Pallavas until ninth century, Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Vijayanagara Empire, Thanjavur Nayakas, Marathas and the British. 

Golden Roof, Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. Image By Nittavinoda - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66549271

Source of quotes from Sri Aurobindo and The Mother

1. Essays Divine and Human, CWSA, Vol 12, Pg 208

2  Mona Sarkar, Throb of Nature: Conversations with the Mother on Flowers and Nature, p.127

3. Excerpt: The Mother’s Agenda, 2 August 1961 

4. Mother's Agenda, Vol 3, 1962

References: 

1. http://www.chidambaramnataraja.org

2. Wikipedia 

 

Does Bharat want the annihilation of millions of innocent lives?

 

Bharat's history of not harming civilians in war

The armies of Bharat are not known for harming innocent people of their enemy countries – from the Mahabharata war 5,000 years ago to the last big war of 1971 with Pakistan. But slaughtering or enslaving civilian men and women and plundering their possessions seem to have been an essential part of wars in the rest of the world during the ancient and mediaeval times. During World War II last century, genocide of millions of Jews by the Nazis and destruction of two entire cities of Japan – Hiroshima and Nagasaki – by dropping nuclear bombs on them raised the war crimes against humanity to unprecedented levels. Since then, the weapons of mass destruction, multiplied enormously in their destructive powers, have been acquired by several nations of the world, and the total quantity is such that the entire earth can be destroyed several times. While it is the fear of mutually assured destruction (MAD) that seems to have prevented their use anywhere in the world since the destruction of the twin cities in Japan, there were numerous threats of using them between the Western and Soviet blocs of countries during the Cold War. 

The Kshatriya Dharma, code of conduct for the warriors

Astonishingly in the recent decades, threats of using nuclear bombs against each other have been heard from India and Pakistan. And the demands for doing so come often from the Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan and the right-wing activists in India. While it is horrifying but not surprising to hear it from the fanatic Muslims, a religion that regards every non-believer of its prophet and Allah as kafirs, it is perplexing to hear it from followers of Hinduism, a religion that has arisen from the Veda and Vedanta, which regards the entire world as one family and preaches that all life and work, including battles, are to be done as a service to the Divine who is present within and beyond all existence. The Bhagavad Gita, a prominent treatise of  Vedanta, delivered at the battlefield of Kurukshetra, did not tell Arjuna, leading the side fighting against adharmic forces, to slaughter unarmed men, women, children, and animals. He was only being told to combat other armed warriors. 

People of India and Pakistan have the same ancestry 

Pakistan consists of five provinces, and in spite of the anti-India education that the entire present generation has gone through, the people – excepting the fanatically minded politicians and military – are still open to establishing peace and cultural and economic exchanges with India. A mass surge of such sentiments has been witnessed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Baluchistan in recent years. It is quite possible there is an undercurrent of pro-India sentiments in other provinces as well. According to some DNA-based research, almost the entire population of the Indian subcontinent, irrespective of their religions, are of one ancestral stock. There may be just about 10% of foreign Muslim ancestry among all the Muslims.

Demand for nuclear attack on Pakistan is psychopathic

In view of the above, the demands for nuclear attack on Pakistan from whomever they come could be due to sheer ignorance and possibly also due to psychopathic tendencies – which, according to recent research, a small percentage of humanity are susceptible to – and are to be rejected by the government and opinion makers in the media. The rest of the world seems to be more sensitive to the potential danger evident from the intervention of the UK and the US getting in touch with those in power in India and Pakistan to declare a ceasefire. There were media reports citing videos that India had carried out a missile attack at an underground site storing Pakistan's nuclear bombs near Sargodha. Though the missile is said to have delivered and blasted only a bunker-bursting bomb, what if it had gone astray and triggered a nuclear war? Are Indians' lives so cheap they should be sacrificed in millions to satisfy jingoism and hatred posing as nationalism? India's nationalism is a love for Mother India, who has accepted practitioners of many religions as her children for millennia. And it is in her very soul nature to allow a million ways of manifestation of the One Supreme who is Truth, Consciousness and Bliss.

The U.S seems to have acted more like a Vishwa Guru than India

Indian political class's failure to regain India's broken unity, and progress towards peace and prosperity for all seems to have set back its destiny to be the Guru of the World. It is the U.S. which sounds like the Vishwa Guru reading the following statement of its President Donald Trump after getting both India and Pakistan possessing nuclear bombs away from the brink of an all out war:

“I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have lead (led) to the and destruction of so many, and so much,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Millions of good and innocent people could have died! Your legacy is greatly enhanced by your brave actions", he said. (Deccan Herald, 11th May 2025) 

Today President Trump reiterated in the White House, on 12th May 2025, "I think it would have it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I'm very proud of [stopping] that". 

The Indo-Pak Imbroglio & The Future

 

(This is the map of true India drawn by The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram after the partition of India. It includes Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka and the 5 provinces constituting Pakistan.)

The purpose of India’s Operation Sindoor was to avenge the killing of 25 Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on 22nd April 2025. It was achieved on 7th May by destroying terrorist infrastructures at 9 places in Pakistan while avoiding any military or civilian targets. This was the only practical reaction possible, as capturing all the gunmen who actually shot the tourists and putting them to judicial process is near impossible due to the large number of sympathisers the terrorists may still have in Kashmir and Pakistan's outright denial of any role in the massacre. The terrorist sympathisers would also exploit the long legal process of India before conviction to get the terrorists released or, if convicted, make them martyrs of their cause. The immediate destruction of terror camps within Pakistan would deter the state and the terrorists from attempting anything similar, at least in the near future.

There is widespread disappointment in India with the ceasefire between India and Pakistan announced on 10th May. Some social media activists project this as a failure of the government and praise Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who broke Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971. They overlook that while Indira did great by invading East Pakistan and liberating Bangladesh, she failed to invade at least 7 months earlier when the East Pakistan Army started massacring civilians there and refugees started fleeing into India. By the time Bangladesh was liberated, 4 lakh civilians had been massacred by the East Pakistan Army, and 1 crore refugees had entered into India, who never went back, causing a great setback to India's economy. Indira also did not tell the Indian Army to invade West Pakistan or liberate even the part of Kashmir still under Pakistan occupation. She also released the entire East Pakistan Army who were taken prisoners of war unconditionally by signing the infamous Shimla agreement in 1974. In the following years, an all-out war with Pakistan became inadvisable as they acquired nuclear bombs.

Those in India disappointed with the ceasefire also fail to note that the Indian government had no objective to invade and liberate any part of Pakistan, as it might be provoked to attack India with nuclear bombs as a service to Allah as a part of its jihad (religious war) against the still largely Hindu India. Also, Pakistan’s ally China, with its superior military power, may then attack and invade India. China's involvement might draw in the militaries of the US and other Western powers in support of India and possibly start World War III.

Operation Sindoor actually got prolonged because Pakistan retaliated by attacking Indian military installations and also killing civilians, thereby escalating the conflict. The ceasefire agreed upon between India and Pakistan on the 10th of May, is a welcome development. 

It is better for India to concentrate on uniting all Indians by rising resolutely above religious differences and seek for all prosperity, progress and peace. That will make Pakistan disintegrate from within - the five provinces making the present Pakistan were, after all, part of India for thousands of years - and the separating parts join in a confederation with India. 

Manekshaw's refusal to go to war against East Pakistan early in 1974 cost lakhs of civilian lives and brought ten million refugees into India

Veneration and condenmation for the feminine principle in India

 

The Mother with inmates of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry

[Words of the Mother:]

Indeed, is it not in India that we find the most intense adoration, the most complete veneration of the Supreme Mother, creatrix of the universe, conqueror of all enemies, mother of all the gods and all the worlds, dispenser of all boons?

And is it not in India too that we find the most radical condemnation, the uttermost contempt for the feminine principle, Prakriti, Maya, corrupting illusion, cause of every fall and every misery, Nature that deceives and defiles and lures away from the Divine?

The whole life of India is shot through with this contradiction; she suffers from it in both mind and heart. Everywhere feminine deities are erected on her altars; the children of India await salvation and liberation from their Mother Durga. And yet is it not one of her children who said that the Avatar would never incarnate in the body of a woman, because no rightminded Hindu would recognise him! Fortunately, the Divine is not affected by such a narrow sectarian spirit or moved by such petty considerations. And when it pleases him to manifest in a terrestrial body, he cares very little whether or not he is recognised by men. Besides, in all his incarnations, he seems always to have preferred children and simple hearts to the learned.

In any case, until the manifestation of a new conception and consciousness compels Nature to create a new species which would no longer have to yield to the necessity of animal procreation and thus be under the obligation of dividing into two complementary sexes, the best that can be done for the progress of the present human race is to treat both sexes on a footing of perfect equality, to give them the same education and training and to teach them to find, through a constant contact with a Divine Reality that is above all sexual differentiation, the source of all possibilities and harmonies.

And it may be that India, the land of contrasts, will also be the land of new realisations, even as she was the cradle of their conception. 

The Mother 

Bulletin, April 1955 

[Title added, On Education, Collected Works of The Mother, Vol 12,  Pg 105]

"Can't the people of India be trusted with the freedom that has been given to them?"

The phenomenon of the government arming itself with more and more powers to control the people is not of recent origin but began long back, in the second year itself after India's Constitution was adopted on 26th January 1950. The following excerpts from a recent report on The New Indian Express shows what actually caused the first amendment bill and the profound words of Syama Prasad Mookerjee who opposed the Bill. Shri Mookerjee founded Jana Sangh the predecessor of BJP who died later on 23rd June 1953 in Kashmir during imprisonment for defying the order banning entry into the State without 'permission'. The govt. claimed that he died due to heart attack but there were widespread suspicion about the actual cause of his death. The Mother, may years later, said he was assassinated (vide Agenda of the Supramental Action on Earth). 

The Constitution of India - Preamble & Fundamental Rights

The Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, while moving the First Amendment Bill, stated that Fundamental Rights were relics of a static age trying to preserve the status quo and social inequalities; whereas Directive Principles were dynamic ideas of social reform and social engineering. The Amendment was conceived to circumvent some verdicts of the judiciary which was vigorously upholding civil liberties. Nehru asserted that "Parliament, representing the will of people, decides on certain social reforms. These are then, by process of interpretation of the Constitution, held up by the judiciary...If the Constitution itself comes in our way, then surely it is time to change the Constitution to that extent." 

 On 12 May 1951, Nehru introduced the Constitution (First Amendment) Bill in Parliament without any prior notice, and on 16 May, the Bill was referred to a Select Committee. There began the first battle of Indian liberalism and Mookejee emerged as a chivalrous defender of Fundamental Rights. He was undeniably a giant in the Indian political landscape. He assailed the First Amendment Bill by calling it ‘the beginning of the encroachment of the liberty of the people of Free India’.

“What he [Nehru] is going to do is nothing short of cutting at the very root of the fundamental principles of the Constitution which he helped, more than anybody else, to pass only about a year and a half ago. This is the challenge he has deliberately thrown at the people of India...is it due to fear? Does he feel that he is incapable today of carrying on the administration of the country unless he is clothed with more and more powers to be arbitrarily utilized so that his will may be the last word on the subject? Or is it his doubt in the wisdom of the people whose champion he has been all his life? Does he feel that people of India have run amuck and cannot be trusted with the freedom that has been given to them?” Mookerjee thundered in Parliament. He criticized further restrictions on free speech and called it a ploy to penalize the government’s political opponents. He argued that democratic freedom necessarily implied that any viewpoint be allowed to circulate in the country so long as it did not advocate violence and chaos.

(Excerpts from "Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the first battle of Indian liberalism, Faisal C.K, The New Indian Express", 6^th July 2024)

Syama Prasad Mookerjee (1901 - 1953)

President Murmu at Puri, calls for protection and conservation of environment

There are places that bring us in closer touch with the essence of life and remind us that we are part of nature. Mountains, forests, rivers and seashores appeal to something deep within us. As I walked along the seashore today, I felt a communion with the surroundings – the gentle wind, the roar of the waves, and the immense expanse of water. It was a meditative experience.

Smt Murmu at the beach of Puri, Odisha 

It brought to me a profound inner peace that I had also felt when I had a darshan of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannathji yesterday. And I am not alone in having such an experience; all of us can feel that way when we encounter something that is far larger than us, that sustains us and that makes our lives meaningful. In the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, we lose this connection with Mother Nature. Humankind believes it has mastered nature and is exploiting it for its own short-term benefits. The result is for all to see. This summer, many parts of India suffered a terrible series of heatwaves. Extreme weather events have become more frequent around the globe in recent years. The situation is projected to be far worse in the decades to come.

More than seventy percent of the surface of the earth is made up of oceans, and global warming is leading to a rise in global sea levels, threatening to submerge coastal areas. The oceans and the rich variety of flora and fauna found there have suffered heavily due to different kinds of pollution.

Fortunately, people living in nature’s lap have sustained traditions that can show us the way. Inhabitants of coastal areas, for example, know the language of the winds and waves of the sea. Following our ancestors, they worship the sea as God. There are two ways, I believe, to meet the challenge of protection and conservation of the environment; broader steps that can come from governments and international organisations, and smaller, local steps that we can take as citizens. The two are, of course, complementary. Let us pledge to do what we can do – individually, locally – for the sake of a better tomorrow. We owe it to our children.

- President Murmu

President Murmu witnessed the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra yesterday and joined the devotees in the centuries old tradition of pulling the chariot of Jagannath

She said in a message on Twitter: "For me, it was one of those blessed moments that make us aware of the presence of the Supreme Being. May there be peace and prosperity around the world by the grace of Mahaprabhu Jagannath!". 

Source: Twitter @rashtrapatibhvn

Ram Mandir rises again in Ayodhya

 

Model of Ram Mandir, Ayodhya. Source: Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra

Avatars are direct manifestations of the Supreme into the world to carry forward its evolution. Lord Ram is considered an Avatar in India since time immemorial. Ayodhya was where Lord Ram was believed to have born and ruled at least several thousand years ago. Sri Aurobindo wrote in a letter to his disciple: "His [Rama's] business was to destroy Ravana and to establish the Ramarajya—in other words, to fix for the future the possibility of an order proper to the sattwic civilised human being who governs his life by the reason, the finer emotions, morality or at least moral ideals, such as truth, obedience, cooperation and harmony, the sense of humour, the sense of domestic and public order, to establish this in a world still occupied by anarchic forces, the Animal Mind and the powers of the vital Ego making its own satisfaction the rule of life, in other words, the Vanara and the Rakshasa. This is the meaning of Rama and his life-work..."

A mosque was built on a hill known as Ramkot (Rama's fort) in Ayodhya in 1528–29 by Mir Baqi, a commander of the Mughal emperor Babur. The Hindus claimed that the mosque was built after demolishing a Ram Mandir on the hill and the central dome of the mosque was over the birthplace of Lord Ram. This mosque came to be known as Babri Masjid. When the Mughal Empire dwindled to just some areas around Delhi in the first half of the 19th century, a group of armed Hindu ascetics occupied Babri Masjid, in 1853. After a clash the Hindus occupied the outer and the Muslims the inner courtyard of the mosque for their worship. A few Nihang Sikhs (an armed Sikh warrior order) reportedly entered the mosque in 1958 and organised a hawan and puja, and erected a religious symbol. It took a few weeks for the police to evict the Sikhs. In 1883, the Hindus launched an effort to construct a temple which was stopped by the local deputy commissioner of the British India govt in 1885.

Legal battle to build Ram Mandir

Mahant Raghubar Das — a monk of the Nirmohi Akhara (an armed Hindu sect of the Vaishnava order worshipping Lord Vishnu and his avatars) filed a legal suit to build a temple on the ‘Chabutra’ (platform) outside the mosque in 1885. During the hearing, a map of the area was drawn showing the mosque and its inner courtyard under Muslims’ possession, while the outer courtyard with the Chabutra was under Hindus’ possession. "On 24 December 1885, the Sub Judge Pandit Hari Kishan Singh dismissed the suit. On 18 March 1886, District Judge F.E.A. Chamier also dismissed an appeal against the lower court judgment. He agreed that the mosque was built on the land considered sacred by the Hindus, but ordered maintenance of the status quo, since it was "too late now to remedy the grievance". A subsequent appeal before the Judicial Commissioner W. Young was also dismissed on 1 November 1886.

The Babri Masjid mosque, Faizabad, India; Ayodhya, India. (1863-1887) By Samuel Bourne[1]2 - http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/138760/unknown-maker-babri-masjid-faizabad-english-about-1863-1887/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92934970

Two years after India's Independence in 1947, a Hindu organization conducted a non-stop recitation of Ramayana, a traditional Hindu practice, for 9 days near the mosque and on the night it ended a group of 50-60 people entered the mosque, placed idols of Rama and his consort Sita, and started public worship from the following day. Despite the Uttar Pradesh State government’s orders, officials did not remove the installed idols citing possible Hindu reprisal. A Faizabad court attached the disputed site, cutting off both Muslims and Hindus’ access to it and handed it over to an official receiver.

A civil case was filed by Gopal Singh Visharad, who was refused entry, in 1950. His ancestors reportedly performed rituals at the temple site for centuries and he was the Secretary of the Hindu Maha Sabha, Ayodhya. Between 1950 - 59 three suits were filed by Nirmohi Akhara seeking rights to perform pooja to the idols, and later seeking a complete hand-over of the disputed site. Also, in a countersuit, the U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board sought possession of the site.

Ram Janmabhoomi movement

In February 1986, the government re-opened Babri Masjid, allowing Hindus to worship the idols. Consecrated bricks were brought from various parts of the country as part of the foundation-laying ceremony for a Ram Mandir on the site. On November 9, 1989, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) performed a shilanyas (foundation laying ceremony) at the site, setting a deadline of October 30, 1990 to build a Ram Mandir. BJP leader L.K. Advani started a Rath Yathra (chariot procession) from Gujarat on September 25, 1990 that went through 10 states and was scheduled to end on October 30, 1990 at the disputed spot in Ayodhya, coinciding with the deadline set by the VHP to build a Ram Temple. Mr. Advani was arrested on 22nd October but the Yathra proceeded with 75,000 reaching Ayodhya. On October 30, 40,000 kar sevaks (volunteers who offer physical work as service to the Divine) gathered at the bridge leading to Ayodhya as the VHP prepared to hold a procession around the site and a ceremony at the grounds adjoining the mosque. However, kar sevaks scaled the domes of the Babri Masjid in an attempt to tear it down. The police fired at the kar sevaks twice within a few days killing hundreds of them.

Consecrated bricks offered by people from all over India for the construction of Ram Mandir

Some Muslim scholars and leaders insisted that the Babri Masjid was not built by demolishing any temple at the site, by the Mughal commander. An archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) who took part in excavation work at the Masjid in 1979, K. K. Mohammed, had observed pillars of a temple below the Masjid. Feeling strongly that the facts must be told to counter the false narrative, he wrote a letter to the Indian Express newspaper in December 1990. His letter was published drawing national attention and gave an impetus to the movement for the construction of Ram Mandir. (The archaeologist was admonished by his superior officer and transferred out by ASI as a punishment but he stood by his claim which was confirmed later by an excavation by the ASI ordered by a Court in 2003.)

On December 6, 1992, the RSS and VHP organised a katha kunj (storytelling) event at the site adjoining the mosque, with over 1,50,000 kar sevaks in attendance. Several leaders such as Mr. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Nritya Gopal Das, and Sadhvi Ritambara gave rousing speeches and raised slogans vowing to build a Ram Temple at the site. The kar sevaks (which also comprised of Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena workers) then began pelting stones at the mosque. They went on to storm into the disputed area and demolished the entire structure with the three domes within a few hours. Riots ensued across India in Surat, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Bhopal, Mumbai and Delhi, killing almost 2,000 people.

The Govt. set up an inquiry commission that named 68 leaders including leaders of Hindu cultural, religious and political organisations. A court-ordered archaeological survey in 2003 found a 10th-century shrine under the site of the mosque. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court after hearing the ownership dispute of the 2.77 acres of land on which the Babri Masjid stood ordered it be divided among the three contending parties. The Ayodhya dispute then went to the Supreme Court where, in 2019, a 5 member Bench brought to an end India's longest-running court case. The Court acquitted all the accused and gave the entire disputed area (2.77 acres) to a Trust of the Hindus to be formed by the govt. to build the Ram Mandir. The Court said the ASI did not establish that a temple was destroyed to build the mosque but the Hindu belief that the site was the birthplace of Lord Ram cannot be questioned. The Court said the demolition of the mosque in 1992 was a violation of law and ordered the govt. to provide an alternate site for the Muslims to build a new mosque, away from the temple.

Construction and Inauguration of Ram Mandir

The Trust "Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra" which was formed by the Govt. has completed the ground floor of the three storyed Ram Mandir by raising about Rs 5000 crores in donations collected, so far, from devotees of Ram from India and the rest of the world. "The original design for Ram Mandir was planned in 1988 by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad. However, it went through certain changes in 2020 in accordance with the Vastu shastra and the Shilpa shastras. The Sompuras have contributed to the design of over 100 temples worldwide for at least 15 generations, including the Somnath temple. The temple, built in an overall area spanning 71 acres, is divided into six parts, including the sanctum sanctorum and five pavilions—Gun Mandap, Rang Mandap, Nritya Mandap, Kirtan Mandap, Prarthana Mandap."

"Larsen & Toubro offered to oversee the design and construction of the temple free of cost and is the contractor of the project. Central Building Research Institute, National Geophysical Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Technology (such as those Bombay, Guwahati, and Madras) are assisting in areas such as soil testing, concrete and design. Tata Consulting Engineers has been designated as a project management consultant."

Ram Mandir construction in progress

Ram Mandir will be inaugurated on 22nd January 2024, nearly 5 centuries after it was presumably demolished by the Mughals in Ayodhya where the Hindus believe Lord Ram ruled from and at the very site they revered as the birthplace of the Avatar. Special cultural and religious events are being organized in many states to mark the event. As advised by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Hindu temples are being cleaned and worship is being done in many states. He is on a pilgrimage to temples at places believed to have been visited by Lord Ram, in various states and visited a few such temples in Tamil Nadu on 20th January 20245. The Prime Minister will be the Chief Guest at the idol's consecration ceremony between 12 noon to 12.45 pm to be attended by about 7000 specially invited guests. The Central Govt. has declared a half a day holiday for all its employees till 2.30 pm on the 22nd. A full holiday has been declared on the day by 14 states of India so far. I commented on a newspaper website decades ago that the building of Ram Mandir would be one of the signs of the emergence of the soul of India. Many leaders and authors now regard this event as not only a historic and millennial but also as an indication of the resurging civilization of Bharat.

An inside view of Ram Mandir Source: Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust

The picture below shows the idol of Lord Ram unveiled today. It was sculpted from a 2.5 billion-year-old rock near Mysore by a sculptor from Karnataka. The idol depicts Lord Ram as a 5-year-old boy with a golden bow and arrow. Semitic religionists who regard God as a serious being, Indians see the Divine as a playful and laughing child in the form of Krishna. Other gods such as Ganesh, Karthigeya, Meenakshi, etc. are also imaged in their child forms and worshipped.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛 & 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 & 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑛 𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒 & 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐾𝑟𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑛𝑎, 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐻𝑖𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑏𝑜𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓&ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟. - 𝑆𝑟𝑖 𝐴𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑜 (𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑠, CWSA, Vol 12)

Lord Ram's idol in the form of a 5-year-old boy installed at the sanctum sanctorum of the new Ram Mandir on 19th January 2024

Lord Ram's idol in the form of a 5-year-old boy with a golden bow and arrow (photo taken earlier to its installation in the Ram Mandir

Redevelopment of Ayodhya as per Master Plan 2031

An unprecedented scale of development is unfolding in Ayodhya according to a WION news report. It is being reimagined and rebuilt as a 21st-century temple town with contemporary infrastructure. Ayodhya is being reborn. Redevelopment of Ayodhya as per the master plan 2031 will be completed over 10 years with an investment of over Rs. 85,000 crores. The city is being upgraded to meet the requirement of a daily footfall of about 3 lakhs. The plan includes the development of a new township in the next 5 years with an investment of nearly 2 billion dollars. Uttar Pradesh is also placing a significant emphasis on transforming Ayodhya into a solar city. The authorities are expecting about 4.5 million tourists per month more than Ayodhya's entire population of 3.5 million. C.P. Kukreja Architect will be the Urban Planner and Architect of the project.

A Screenshot from 'Ayodhya: Rebirth of a temple town' by WION Wideangle, YouTube, 19/1/2024

A Screenshot from 'Ayodhya: Rebirth of a temple town' by WION Wideangle, YouTube, 19/1/2024

Ref:

1. Wikipedia

2. News reports

3. Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya dot Com

Renew Driving Licence without a middleman

 Not many years ago, a driving licence could not be taken or renewed without the services of a middleman who charged hundreds of rupees for his service out of which bribes were paid to the RTO (Regional Transport Office) staff. It was a well-known institutionalised corruption. I renewed my 2-wheeler driving licence online recently. It was simpler and faster now than five years ago when the online facility was in the initial stage. Shri. Nitin Gadkari as the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways (2014 - ) has overhauled the procedure for renewal by changing over to an online system requiring just one visit to the RTO by the licensees. The acknowledgments and confirmations for documents, payment, appointment etc. submitted/made are received on the licensee's mobile phone.

The driving licence is renewed at the website of Parivahan Sewa https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan/ . You will need access to any computer with an internet connection. A memory stick to save the downloaded documents and take them to where they can be printed and scanned if these equipment are not already connected to your computer. (It may also be possible to do it through mobile by downloading the app from PlayStore.) You will need two hard copies of your recent passport-size photo (and a scan of it), a medical form downloaded from the website and signed by an MBBS qualified registered doctor (and a scan of it), a filled up renewal application downloaded from the website, a scan of your signature, and pay Rs. 300/- online. After completing the online application process, you need to visit the RTO to hand over the documents and get yourself photographed. Below are the screenshots of the steps I followed online while renewing my 2-wheeler licence recently for reference but you may be able to do it entirely by yourself at the above website which is accessible 24x7.

On opening the website link above, click under 'Licence Related Services', the 'More' button of 'Other Services' (Screenshot 1). It will open another page wherein you need to select your state, in the drop-down window at the bottom, and then click on 'B Driving Licence' (Screenshot 2).

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2

Please check that your Aadhaar Card details such as Name, Date of Birth and Father’s name/spouse name exactly match your existing Driving Licence and the information you gave to the RTO earlier. If so, on the next page that opens, click on 'Renewal of DL' in the blue options box (Screenshot 3). If not, close the box and on the page behind it, click on 'Apply for DL Renewal' - 3rd from the top left (Screenshot 4). (You can exit at any step of your application process and restart it later from this page the link for which is https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in/sarat.../stateSelectBean.do)

Screenshot 3

Screenshot 4

On the next page, if you are above 40 years of age, scroll down and click on 'Download Form 1-A' (Screenshot 5). You need to get this basic fitness certificate signed by any MBBS-qualified doctor registered with the government and submit it at the RTO on the day you visit. You may obtain it free from a doctor in a government hospital or for Rs. 200/- from a doctor in a private clinic/hospital. Next, click the 'Continue' button on the page.

Screenshot 5

On the next page, fill in your driving licence number (see how it is to be input, given at the bottom of the page) and date of birth. Enter the captcha, click on the 'terms and conditions' check box and click on the 'Get DL Details' button (Screenshot 6).

Screenshot 6

Your existing driving licence details will appear on the next page. If the information is correct scroll down to 'Confirmed that the above Driving Licence details are mine', click open the drop-down window marked 'Select' and click on Yes. Next, select the category of driving licence holders to which you belong by clicking on the drop-down menu, select the RTO from the menu next to it. (If the information is incorrect, select 'No' and follow the instructions thereon.) Then, click on 'Proceed' at the bottom of the page. (Screenshot 7)

Screenshot 7

On the next page, scroll down, and enter your mobile number (linked to your Aadhaar card) and your email ID. Click 'Confirm'.

On the next page, select 'Submit via Aadhaar authentication' and click on Submit (follow (a) below). If the details on your Aadhaar and driving licence do not match, select 'Submit without Aadhaar identification' and click on Submit (follow (b) below).

(a) On the next page, enter the Aadhaar number, select all the boxes below, and click on Generate OTP. Enter the OTP number received on your mobile and then click 'Authenticate' (Screenshot 8).

Screenshot 8

(b) On the next page, enter the mobile number and click on 'Generate OTP'. Enter on the page the OTP received on your mobile and click 'Authenticate with Sarathi' (Screenshot 9).

Screenshot 9

On the next page, select 'Renewal of DL' and click on 'Proceed'. Next, you have to upload scans of the following documents:

- Form 1A

- A scan of your signature (of size less than 20 kb)

- A scan of your passport-size photograph (keep its kb size within the prescribed limit)

I haven't provided the screenshot of this page as only those yet to renew the licence can access it. You can make the fee payment, print the application forms, upload the documents and choose an appointment with the RTO on the same page shown in Screenshot 4 above (Screenshot 10).

Screenshot 10

(Tindivanam RTO is about 30 km on the highway from Morattandi tollgate, near Auroville. Wear a helmet, enjoy the long ride safely, and reach there at the appointed time.) Handover to the staff member at the main entrance of the office the following hardcopies:

- Existing driving licence (Original one with the hologram of the state govt. symbol)

- The booking slot confirmation slip (Appointment slip)

- Filled and signed Form 1A (medical fitness)

- Filled and signed Form 2 &

-Fee payment acknowledgement slip

He would browse the papers and approve them. Next take them to the photography room where your photo and digital signature will be taken. You can collect your new driving licence the same day evening by 5 pm or the next day, at the dispatch window of the office. When you get a message on your mobile that the licence is issued, check on the website that your photo, signature and other details are correct. (I was amused to find somebody else's signature in the place for mine on my licence. So, the next day after collecting my licence from the dispatch clerk I showed the photographer that it was not my signature but she said it was "alright" probably because it could be corrected later. I gently insisted that the correct signature be printed on the DL immediately and re-issued to me and that I didn't want to come another day for this. Then she got it done within an hour after taking my photo and signature afresh.)

If the new license is not collected within 2 days the dispatch clerk is supposed to mail it to your address.

Vehicle insurance can also be renewed online, on or before the due date. If not it can be renewed by visiting the Insurance office with the vehicle.

There is institutionalised corruption in many of the government services - electricity boards, business licensing authorities, police, railways, telecommunication etc. A determined Minister, such as Shri. Nitin Gadkari can bring about systemic changes to eradicate corruption but if the people still prefer to bribe and stay within their comfort zones, corruption would still thrive. The Mother once told someone complaining about the corruption in the country that if one is determined not to bribe he need not have to. I have seen this to be practically true many times. Sri Aurobindo published a booklet titled The Renaissance in India in 1920 wherein he wrote that it is because Indians' public life became most egoistic, self-seeking, materialistic that they fell. Perhaps the transformation of the public life, the beginning of which may be seen in efforts like this to eliminate corruption through computerisation and online access to users, would be indispensable for the rise of true India. All who aspire for the City at the Service of Truth, Auroville, to manifest integrally, ought to ensure that they do not directly or indirectly contribute to corruption.