Ayodhya dispute: Aurangzeb, not Babar, built Babri masjid, says new book
The book, Ayodhya Revisited, has been authored by former IPS officer Kishore Kunal who, as Officer on Special Duty in Ayodhya from 1990 to 1992 to the then Union home minister, had an insider’s view of the goings-on in the dispute.
With the Ayodhya issue back in the spotlight ahead of the 2017 UP polls, a new book on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy claims to give a new perspective to the dispute.
The book, Ayodhya Revisited, has been authored by former IPS officer Kishore Kunal who, as Officer on Special Duty in Ayodhya from 1990 to 1992 to the then Union home minister, had an insider’s view of the goings-on in the dispute.
The most stunning “finding” in the book, which Kunal claims is drawn from original documents presented for the first time, is that Mughal emperor Babar was not the one who built the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1528 as is popularly believed.
“I have quoted from many original Sanskrit sources to show that Babar was a very liberal ruler, free from religious bigotry. He never demolished any temple in India and never visited Ayodhya,” Kunal said.
The author has claimed that a Ram temple existed on the disputed site, which was demolished by Fedai Khan, the governor of Ayodhya in 1660 AD, at the command of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Kunal has accused Francis Buchanan, who surveyed Ayodhya in 1813-14, of erroneously crediting the mosque to Babar by drawing upon a ‘spurious inscription’ that contained a ‘fabricated portion’, which reads that it was built by Mir Baqi at the command of Babar.