The Ayodhya Temple-Mosque Dispute: Focus on Muslim Sources c8: Chap. 3: Literary Evidence: Arabic and Persian Sources
The Ayodhya Temple-Mosque Dispute: Focus on Muslim Sources c8
- Language
- English
Contents
- c8.s1 I. Arabic Sources — 6 parts
- c8.s2 II. Persian Sources — 37 parts
Chap. 3: Literary Evidence: Arabic and Persian Sources
c8.1
LITERARY EVIDENCE:
I. Arabic Sources
c8.s1.1
1 Al-Bīrūnī appears to be the earliest writer who mentions Ayodhya. He does not, however, go beyond roughly indicating the location of Ayodhya: ‘Marching from Bārī along the Ganges on its eastern side, you pass the following stations: – Ajodaha (Ayodhyā, Oudh), 25 *farsakh* from Bārī; the famous Banārasī, 20 *farsakh*.’¹
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¹ *Alberuni’s India*, Vol. I, p. 200
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2 The *Jannah al-Mashriq wa Matla ‘an-Nūr al-Mashriq*, retitled as *Al-Hind-u fī al-‘Ahd al-Islāmī*, by Maulānā Hakīm Sayyid ‘Abd al-Ḥayy, translated into Urdu by Maulānā Shams Tabrīz Khāṅ under the title *Hindustān Islāmī ‘Ahd meiṅ* and introduced by the author’s illustrious son Maulānā Abu ‘l-Ḥasan ‘Alī Nadawī alias ‘Alī Mīaṅ. The author describes the mosque in question thus: ‘And among them is the great mosque that was built by the Tīmūrid king Bābar in the secred city of Ajodhya. It is believed that Rāma Chandra, considered to be the manifestation of God, was born here. There is a long story about his wife Sītā. There was a big temple for them in this city. At a certain place Sītā used to sit and cook food for her consort. Well, the said king Bābar demolished it and built a mosque at that very place with chiselled stone in 923 A.H.’²
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² If the Urdu translation is followed, it will read thus: ‘This mosque was built by Bābar at Ajodhya which the Hindus call the birth-place of Rāmachandra jī. There is a well known story about his wife Sītā. It is said that Sītā had a temple here in which she lived and cooked food for her husband. On that very site Bābar constructed this mosque in 923 A.H.’ Maulawiyy Shams Tabrīz Khāṅ, *Hindustān Islāmī ‘Ahd* *meiñ*, p.141
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The author died in 1923 and the translation appeared in print in 1973. I have relevant extracts from the original (vide Appendix I), which is not available or, at any rate, is not within our reach. Even the Urdu translation is said to have been withdrawn from the market and many Muslim libraries,¹ though I possess a copy.
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¹ See Arun Shourie, 'Hideaway Communalism', *Hindu Temples*, Vol. I, pp. 1-11
II. Persian Sources
c8.s2.1
1 Abu 'l-Faḍl's *Ā'īn-i Akbarī* speaks about Ayodhya thrice: 'Ayodhya, commonly called Awadh. The distance of forty *kos* to the east, and twenty to the north is regarded as sacred ground. On the ninth of the light half of the month of Chaitra a great religious festival is held.'² Again : Rāma 'was accordingly born during the Tretā Yuga on the ninth of the light half of the month of Chaitra (March-April) in the city of Ayodhyā, of Kausalyā wife of Rājā Daśaratha.'³ And finally : 'Awadh (*Ayodhyā*) is one of the largest cities of India. It is situated in longitude 118,6', and latitude 27,22'. In ancient times its populous site covered an extent of 148 *kos* in length and 36 in breadth, and it is esteemed one of the holiest places of antiquity. It was the residence of Rāmachandra who in the Tretā age combined in his own person both the spiritual supremacy and kingly office.'⁴ The author adds: 'At the distance of one *kos* from the city, the Gogra, after the junction with the Sai (*Sarju*) flows below the fort. Near the city stand two considerable tombs of six and seven yards in length respectively. The vulgar believe them to be the resting-places of Seth and the prophet Job, and extraordinary tales are related of them. Some say that at Ratnapur is the tomb of Kabīr, the assertor of the unity of God.'⁵ 2 **Chhatraman (i) Dās Kāyastha Rā'izādah,** *Chihār Gulshan*, 1173 A.H./1759-60 A.D. Chhatraman (i) makes a similar observation: 'Oudh is an ancient city. In olden times, it had a populated area of 48 *kos* in length and 38 *kos* in breadth. They count it amongst important sanctuaries. Close to this city, there are two tombs seven yards long each. People describe these as the tombs of Seth and Job, relate tales, and sifting the ground obtain gold. It is the birth-place of Rājā Rāmachandra, who was one of the ten *Avatāra-s*, that is, a perfect manifestation of God. Sītā was married to him.¹
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² Abu 'l-Faḍl, *Ā'īn-i Akbarī*, Eng. tr., Vol. II, p.334
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³ *Ibid.*, pp. 316-317
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⁴ *Ibid.*, Vol. III, p.182
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⁵ Loc. cit.
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¹ *'Oud shahr-ī 'st qadīm. Dar peshīn-i zamān ba-ṭūl chihal-o hasht karoh wa 'arḍ sī-o hasht ābādī dāsht. Az guzīn-i mu'ābid shumurand. Nazdīk-i īn shahr do qabr-ī haft-gazī sākhtah and, mardum khwābgāh-i Shīth-o Ayyūb gūyand, wa afsānahā khwānand. Khāk-bīzī kardah ṭilā ba-dast ārand. Zādgāh-i Rāmchandar ki az jumlah dah autār ya'nī maẓhar-ī atm-i Izdi 'st būdah. Sītā badū mansūb būd.'* Chhatraman (i) Dās, Ra'izādah Kāyastha, *Chihār Chaman*, p. 58
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3 *Jaipur State records*
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i) *Catalogue of Historical Documents in Kapad Dwara, Jaipur: No.², Maps and Plans*, lists at Serial No. 179 a map of Ayodhya, painted on white cotton fabric, early 18th century, size 213/178 cm., depicting important religious places, among which we find the 'Janmasthan' of Śrī Rāma. This is published.
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ii) A reference to a *Chaknāma* of 2nd Rajab 1129 A.H./Ist June 1717 A.D. recording that 983 acres of land was granted by Aurangzīb in Oudh to Sawā'ī Rājā Jaisingh Kachhwāhā (1699-1743), ruler of Amer, founder of Jaipur in 1727 and a number of small townships called Jaisinghpurā-s at Kabul, Peshawar, Multan, Lahore, Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and other places, for a garden and *purā*, vide G.C.Verma, 'Jaisinghpura', *Proceedings of the Rajasthan History Congress*, XI, 1978, pp.74-83.
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Both these documents are preserved in the Kapad-Dwara collections of the City Palace Museum, Jaipur.² It is in the collection of documents relating to these places that the map of Ayodhya is preserved.
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² G.C.Verma, 'Jaisinghpura', *Proceedings of the Rajasthan History Congress*, XI, 1978, p.76
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4 *Revenue Records:* The first regular settlement report (1861) and later records confirm that these records are in continuation of the Summary Settlement (1858-1859) as well as of the records of the Nawwābī regime. Therein ‘Janmasthān’, a large complex, figures as a landmark in ‘Kot Ramachandra’. In the first settlement report (1861), the entire complex of Janmasthān shown under *ābādī* (populated area) is covered under khasrā No. 163 with ten plots with superior ownership declared in the name of Sarkār Bahādur Nazūl and the Mahants of the Janmasthān have been shown with subordinate proprietary right (*mālikān-i mātaḥat*). The map of Ḥadbast of the village Kot Ramachandra appended to the Settlement Report (1861) shows only Janmasthān with no symbol of the mosque indicated anywhere on the plot in question. This position is maintained in three later Settlements (1301 F./1893 A.D., 1344 F./1939 A.D., 1397 F./1989 A.D.), with plot Nos. changed as per revenue practice. Even though the amended khasra records of Nazul Department (1931) under No. 580 put the mosque and the Chabutara temple in Waqf possession, Mahant Raghunath is declared as subsidiary proprietor of the entire plot. These records have not been followed, however, in the regular revenue settlements of 1936-37 and 1989-90.¹
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¹ *History and Casuistry*, pp.23-24
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5 Maulawiyy ‘Abdu ’l-Karīm’s book in Persian written presumably in the beginning of the last century. Its enlarged Urdu version only is available, hence we relegate it to the ‘Urdu sources’.
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6 *Epigraphical sources:* The mosque bears three Persian inscriptions. One is a Persian inscription of 8 couplets carved in stone in relief in Naskh above the *chhajja* on the central arch, *in situ*, as under: In the name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful. And in Him is my trust. In the name of One who is wise and great, as abodeless and creator of all the universe.(1) After His praise, blessings upon the Chosen One
c8.s2.16
(Prophet Muḥammad), as he is the prince of the prophets and best in the world. (2)
Bābar Qalandar (the wandering mendicant) has become a legend in the world, since in (his time the world has achieved prosperity. (3)
Even as the sky encompasses the earth, he holds sway over the seven lands. (4)
In his court there was a great noble, whose name is Mīr Bāqī, the second Āṣaf. (5)
He was councillor of his government and administrator of his kingdom, and is the builder of this mosque and fort. (6)
O God ! may he (Bābar) live for ever in this world, with crown, throne, fortune, and high spirits. (7)
The time of the construction is this auspicious date which is indicated by nine hundred thirtyfive (A.H.).(8)
Finishes this praise of God, of the Prophet, and of the King (Bābar). May Allāh illumine His proof. Written by the aged and feeble servant Fatḥu ’llāh Muḥammad Ghorī.¹
c8.s2.17
¹ *Bismi’llah-i ’r-Raḥmān-i ’r-Raḥīm wa Thiqatī* *Ba-nām-īān-ki ū dāna ’st akbar* Ki khāliq-i jumlah ’ālam lā-makānī (1) *Durūd-ī Muṣṭafā ba’d az thanāya-sh* Ki sarwar-i anbiya’ zubdah jahānī (2) *Fasānah dar jahān Bābar Qalandar* Ki shud dar dawr-i gītī kāmrānī (3) *Chunān kash haft kishwar dar giriftah* Zamīn rā chūn mithal-ī asmānī (4) *Dar ān ḥaḍrat yak-ī Mīr-ī mu’azzam* Ki nāmash Mīr Bāqī Āṣaf thānī (5) *Mushīr-ī salṭanat tadbīr-i mulkash* Ki ’z-īn masjid-o ḥiṣār-(ī) hast bānī (6) *Khudaya! dar jahān pā’indah bada* Ki chatra-o takht-o bakht-o zindagānī (7) *Binā’-ī ’ahd-i ’z-īn tārīkh-i maymūn* Ki nuh ṣad sī panch buwad nishānī (8) *Tammat hādha at-tawḥīdu wa na ’tu wa madḥu wa ṣīfatu. Rawwara ’llāh-o burhāna-hū. Khaṭṭa ’abdu ’d-ḍa’īf-i naḥīf-i Fatḥu ’llāhi Muḥammadu Ghoriyy.*
c8.s2.18
Sher Singh's article, 'Who Built the Babari Masjid?',² contains a reproduction of the text of the colophon in original Togra style, the wording of which differs from that given by Maulavi M. Ashraf Hussain¹ and followed in translation above. According to Sher Singh² Francis-Hamilton Buchanan, whom we had occasion to notice earlier, was the first person to record 'the Persian and Arabic inscriptions inside the so-called Babari Masjid in 1813-14', procured by the author of the article. The text of the colophon given by him appears below :
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² Sher Singh, 'Who Built the Babri Masjid?', *the Daily Telegraph*, October 31, 1991
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¹ Maulavi M. Ashraf Hussain's article in *Epigraphia Indica* (Arabic and Persian Supplement), 1965, pp. 58-62
c8.s2.21
² Sher Singh, *op. cit.*
c8.s2.23
It is not easy to decipher it fully and to our entire satisfaction. Nevertheless, some have tried to decipher it like this: *Binā-i tārīkh-i maymūn 'alay-h-i ba-khatt-i 'Abdu 'l-Da'īf Muhammad Fathu'llāh*. Its first three words pose a problem, and the rest of them means 'from the pen of the aged/feeble servant Fathu'llāh Muhammad Ghorī.' The rest of the article-author's construction etc. is based on poor knowledge of the language, hence we need not take further notice of the article.
c8.s2.24
Now, there were two inscriptions inside the mosque, which were lost in a riot in 1934 and subsequently restored from some stampage alleged to have been preserved. The one which was originally there on the sourthern side of the pulpit reads as under : By order of king Bābar whose justice is an edifice meeting the palace of the sky. (1) This descending place of angels was built by the fortune-favoured noble Mīr Bāqī. (2) The good will remain everlasting, and, when I utter the words, 'The good will remain everlasting', the year of its erection becomes manifest. (3)¹For the expression, the good will remain everlasting, the Persian original is 'buwad khair bāqī', which, rendered into cardinal numbers, comes to 935 A.H./1528 A.D., as under :
c8.s2.25
¹ *Ba-farmūdah-ī shāh-i Bābar ki 'adl-ash* *Binā'ī 'st bā kākh-i gardūñ mulāqī* (1) *Binā kardah īñ mahbaṭ-i qudsiyān rā* *Amīr-i sa‘ādat-nishān Mīr-Baqī* (2) *Buwad khayr bāqī wa sāl-ī bināyash* *'Ayāñ shud chū guftam, 'buwad khair bāqī'* (3)
c8.s2.26
| b | = | 2 |
| w | = | 6 |
| d | = | 4 |
| kh | = | 600 |
| i | = | 10 |
| r | = | 200 |
| b | = | 2 |
| a | = | 1 |
| q | = | 100 |
| i | = | 10 |
| Total | = | 935 |
c8.s2.27
Muslim authors have invariably erred in dating the event as 923 or 930 A.H. instead of 935 A.H. The source of the error is a misreading of the date given above in the form of Arabic/Persian alphabets arranged into words, which are : *b u w a d kh a i r b a q i*. What they have done about it is to drop 'b u w a d' and read only the rest, '*kh a i r b a q i*', which does give 923 A.H. Incidentally, the 'u', 'a', 'a', are, in Arabic/Persian, diacritical marks, which are not counted.
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Well, the other constructed or reconstructed inscription reads as under :
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In accordance of the wishes of the ruler of the world, Bābar, this lasting house (of God), like the palace of the spheres, was founded by the fortune-favoured noble Mīr Khān. (1-2)
May such a founder thereof ever remain, and such a king of the world and age. (3)¹
c8.s2.30
¹ *Ba-manshā'i Bābar khadīv-i jahāñ* *Basānī ki ba kākh-i gardūñ 'ināñ* (1) *Binā kardah īñ khānah-i pāyadār* *Amīr-ī sa'ādat-nishāñ Mīr Khāñ* (2) *Bi-māñdah hamīshah chunīñ bānī-ash* *Chuañ shahryār-ī zamīn-o zamāñ* (3)
c8.s2.31.1
*Ṣaḥīfah-ī Chihal Naṣā'iḥ-i Bahādurshāhī* (the Bahādurshāhī Book of Forty Sermons). Besides stating, as we shall see in the sequel, on the basis of old records (*kutub-i sābiqah*), that the Muslim rulers of the past used to demolish temples and break down idols at Ayodhya in pursuance of their policy of rooting out infidelity and that Bābar did replace the Rāma temple by the Bābarī mosque, Mīrzā Jān, author of an Urdu work *Hadīqah-ī Shuhadā* and an active participant in the crescentade (*Jihād*) to recapture the Hanumāngadhī from the Hindus, harks back to a Persian text entitled *Ṣaḥīfah-ī Chihal Naṣā'iḥ-i Bahādurshāhī*, ascribes it to the daughter (*beṭī*) of "Bahādurshāh 'Ālamgīr" (full name Bahādurshāh Shāh-i 'Ālam, here surnamed 'Ālamgīr either inadvertently or on the basis of his being Aurangzīb 'Ālamgīr's son), claims to have found a copy of the book made on 15th Sha'bān 1231 A.H./11th July 1816 A.D.
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in the library of Mīrzā Ḥaydar Shukoh son of Mīrzā Sulaymān Shukoh (son of Prince Dārā Shukoh), and quotes from it verbatim (*hū ba-hū*) a passage in original of some twelve lines setting out the twentyfifth out of forty sermons, to the effect that, keeping the triumph of Islam in view, devout Muslim rulers should keep all idolaters in subjection to Islam, brook no laxity in realization of *Jizyah*, grant no exemption to Hindu Rājah-s from dancing attendance on ‘Īd days and from waiting on foot outside mosques till the end of prayer (*namāz*) and discourse (*khuṭbah*), and 'keep in constant use for Friday and congregational prayer the mosques built up to strengthen Islam after demolishing the temples of the idolatrous Hindus situated at Mathura, Banaras, and Awadh etc., which the wretched infidels have, according to their faith, adjudged to be the birth-place of Kanhaiyā in one case, *Sītā Rasoī* in another, and Hanumān’s abode in a third and claim that after conquest of Lanka Rāmchandra established him there. And, as has been stressed, idol-worship must not continue publicly, nor must the sound of bell reach Muslim ears.¹ It would be pertinent to point out that, as will be borne out by others, too, in the sequel, the mosque became better known as *Sītā kī Rasoī* mosque.² Mirzā Jān does not mention the name of Bahādurshāh’s daughter (Bahādurshāh ‘Ālamgīr *kī beṭī*), nor does he indicate the date of composition of her work.
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The king did have a daughter, Dahr Afroz Bānū Begum, who died at the age of forty at Kabul on January 25, 1703. But she is not likely to be the writer of the book, for the simple reason that the date of its composition cannot be supposed to be prior to 1707, when Aurangzīb died and was succeeded by his son Bahādurshāh. Had it been during Aurangzīb’s reign, the book would have been titled after the name of Aurangzīb rather than of Bahādurshāh. According to the Foreign Department Political Consulations, December 28, 1855, No. 450, the Prime Minister of Wājid ‘Alī Shāh ‘referred to a book which existed in the King’s library written in the reign of Bahadurshah about the year 1707 A.D. which contained an account of the masjid at Hanumangarhi.’¹ The Persian text under examination does contain, *inter alia*, an account of the mosque built at Hanumān’s abode (later named Hanumāngaḍhī). In fact, while quoting the above passage from the work, Mirzā Jān prefaces it with a special mention of that mosque thus: ‘In short, these four mosques [Bābarī mosque, Rām Darbār mosque, fort mosque, and Hanumāngaḍhī mosque] built by the rulers of the past were situated at Ayodhya like four pillars of the faith. And there is clear description thereof in the books of history, particularly (existence of) the Hanumāngaḍhī mosque is established by a passage of the Ṣaḥīfah-ī Shāhī (i.e.
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*Ṣaḥīfah-i Chihal Naṣā’iḥ-i Bahādurshāhī*), which Bahādurshāh ‘Ālamgīr’s daughter has written [comprising] forty sermons....’² This creates a strong presumption in favour of the view that it is this book which the Prime Minister had in mind. Thus, the date of composition of the work transpires to be 1707 A.D. It means that Bahādurshāh had an elder daughter, too.
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¹ *‘IBĀRATI NAṢĪḤAT-I BIST-O PANJUM AZ ṢAḤĪFAH-Ī CHIHAL NAṢĀ’IḤ-I BAHĀDURSHĀHĪ KI BA-TĀRĪKH-I PANZDAHAM SHA‘BĀN 1231 HIJRI NAQL SHUDAH DAR KUTUBKHĀNAH-Ī MIRZĀ ḤAYDAR SHUKOH IBN MIRZĀ SULAYMĀN SHUKOH DĀKHIL SHUD AZ KITĀB-I MADHKŪRAH NAQL KARDAH SHUD* : "Badshahān ulu ’l -'azm rā lāzim ki… ghalabah-ī dīn-o Islām malḥūẓ dāshtah hamah mushrikān rā maṭī‘-i Islām dārand, wa az akhdh-i jizyah ki bar kuffār-i fujjār ijrā' yāftah ast dar nah guzarand, wa jamī‘ rājgān rā az ḥukm-i iḥḍār-i roz-i ‘īdayn wa piyādah istādah māndan bairūn-i masājid ki dar ma‘mūlah-i khud-hā ba-farmān-i bādshāhī sākhtah and tā inqiḍā -i namāz-o khuṭbah mu‘āf nah dārand. Wa mu‘ābid-hā-i mushrikīn-i Hunūd wāqi‘-i Mathurā wa Banāras wa Awadh waghayrah rā ki kuffār-i nābakār ba-i‘tiqād-i khud-hā jā’ī rā mawladgāh-i Kanhaiyā wa maqām-ī rā Rasoī-i Sītā wa makān-ī rā qarārgāh-i Hanumān qarār dādah and wa mī-gūyand ki ba‘d fatḥ-i Laṅkā Rāmchandar Hanumān rā dar ān jā nishānīdah ast mismār gashtah barā'i taqwiyyat-i Islām dar ān hamah jā masājid ta'mīr shudah and, ān masājid rā az jum‘ah-o jamā‘at khālī nah dārand, chunān-ki qadghan ast ki rasm-i butparastī ba-i‘lān nah shawad wa ṣadā-i nāqus ba-gosh-i ahl-i Islām nah rasad." *Ṣaḥīfah-ī Chihal Naṣā’iḥ-i Bahādurshāhī*, quoted in Mirzā Jān, *Ḥadīqah-i Shuhadā*, p.6
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² Kamālu ’d-Dīn Ḥaydar Ḥasaniyy-u ‘l-Ḥusayniyy, *Qayṣaru ‘t-Tawārīkh*, otherwise known as *Tawārīkh-i Awadh*, Vol. II, p.117
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¹ G.D.Bhatnagar, *Awadh under Wajid ‘Alī Shāh*, pp. 136-137
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² *“Gharaḍ yeh chāroṅ masjideṅ banwā’ī hu’īṅ ṣalāṭīn-i māḍiyyah kī chār arkān-i īmān kī ṭaraḥ Awadh meiṅ wāqi‘ thīṅ aur kutub-i tawārīkh meiṅ taṣrīḥ hai, khuṣūṣan Hanumāngaḍhī kī masjid ‘i bārat-i Ṣaḥīfah-i Shāhī se ki Bahādur Shāh ‘Ālamgīr kī beṭī ne Chihal Naṣā’iḥ likhī hai.”* Mirzā Jān, p.6
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Now, Mirzā Jān is not the only medieval writer to refer to the work under consideration. While relating the tale of destruction of the Rāma temple, Mirza Rajab ‘Alī Beg Surūr, whom we shall have occasion to notice in the sequel, hints at his sources including this work thus: ‘It has been dealt with in the books of history. And in the *Ṣaḥīfah-i Bahādurshāhī* it has come to be described in detail with reference to year and date. Whoever may choose may look into it.’¹ The concluding sentence of the excerpt seems to suggest that the work referred to therein under a shortened title was easily available during the first half of the last century, maybe in print.
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¹ Mīrzā Rajab ‘Alī Beg Surūr, *Fasānah-ī ‘Ibrat*, p.121
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If the *Ṣaḥīfah-i Chihal Naṣā’iḥ-i Bahādurshāhī* is extant anywhere in print or in manuscript, it needs to be traced out and salvaged without loss of time. My personal attempt in this bahalf, with the meagre resources at my disposal, has not yet borne fruit and I had to make do with furnishing to VHP and through them to AIBMAC only the passage quoted from it by Mīrzā Jān. Mīrzā Ḥaydar Shukoh’s library must have come into the hands of the British after the 1857 turmoil and transferred to some other institution by them. It should not be so difficult for VHP to track it down.