A Paper City

The contemporary Ram Janmbhoomi politics that began in the 20th century can be broadly categorised into three periods1949, 1980s and post-2014

- Rakhi Bose

THE name Uddharak Baba is not as popular in Ayodhya as it used to be a few decades ago. Many of the younger residents and the new migrants settling in the ancient town have no idea about who Uddharak Baba aka Abhiram Das aka Abhinandan Mishra is, or why his photo, alongside other saints, is on billboards of ‘new’ Ayodhya ahead of the consecration of the Ram Temple.  

But Abhiram Das’ septuagenarian disciple, Dharam Das, who lives in a decrepit ancient Hanumangarhi bylane, elicits a knowing smile. “They are trying to mollycoddle the saints with publicity,” the mahant (chief priest) of Nirvani Akhada states.

Beside his dishevelled cot in a musty room is an image of Abhiram Das, the man who placed an idol of Ram Lalla inside the Babri Masjid for the first time in 1949. “He was the first to put Ram back in his home and convert the mosque into a temple. Not just him, several other saints have contributed to the success of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and risked their lives for this cause. Now, it’s more about show and pomp,” Das states, adding, “Ayodhya is changing”. 

Ahead of the consecration of the Ram temple, Dharam Das, who was one of the litigants in the Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid title dispute and had even supported the idea of giving away land belonging to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas in Ayodhya to the Muslims for building a mosque (given that they gave up their claim on the disputed land), appears reticent and speaks in metaphors.