Ayodhya - Die archäologischen Befunde und die Kontroverse um ihre Deutung

Abstract This article discusses the archaeological evidence for the existence of a Rama temple on the site of the now destroyed Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The existence of this Rama temple has been taken for granted since the 18th century and has become the basis of a mass campaign directed against the Muslim minorities by the Hindu nationalist party BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and related radical organizations, such as the VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad). Since 1989, when secularist historians and archaeologists began questioning the validity of the proofs, discussion of this matter has become one of the central points in the dispute over the „ownership“ of the site the mosque once occupied. It became evident that the archaeological finds were in no way convincing, so that the BJP/VHP archaeologists were forced to come up with a series of „new discoveries“. In 1992 the public became more and more convinced that the problem would never be solved on this basis. Titus the BJP and the radical organizations felt forced into action by their failure, resulting ultimately in the destruction of the Babri Masjid.