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Babri Masjid: History and Architecture

BY SUMIT RAY

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VIEW OF THE BABRI MASJID, 1787: COPYRIGHT BRITISH LIBRARY

Over the past few weeks the site of the Babri Masjid has once again come into the limelight, whether it
due to analysis of the two sides of the debate, planning for the aftermath of the expected Allahabad High
Court Judgement or the relevance or irrelevance of such partisanal issues in the present day.

What is dead and forgotten is the very Masjid that the whole hue-and-cry is about – the Babri Masjid - a
situation made amply clear by the fact that a Google search throws up hardly a single photograph of the
mosque from before the days of its destruction in 1992!

For the curious, here is a look at the history of the mosque itself without the trappings of the political and
religious web that it is entangled in.

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Construction
The Babri Masjid is believed to have been built in 1527, just after the Mughal empire was established by
Emperor Babur. In fact the mosque was built by the general in charge of this region, who named it after
Babur. The mosque was built in Ayodhya, which is in the north-east of Uttar Pradesh (earlier known as
Awadh).

It was not unknown that Ayodhya was intrinsically linked with the Hindu religion as being the birthplace
of the Lord Ram (‘Ram Janmabhoomi’), as mentioned in Ramayana. In fact, even Jains and Buddhists
consider the city as a holy town, which has been home for many of their great monks. It is said that the
Babri Masjid was also known as the Masjid-i-Janmasthan till the 1940’s. But, factually not much can be
confirmed as to whether the site of the mosque actually had a pre-existing temple that may have been
demolished to make the mosque.

Structure
The mosque has the familiar shape of 3 domes on the top, as seen in many other mosques. There was a
courtyard for worshippers, enclosed by high walls, at the centre of which was a well. This well was

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famous for having miraculous medicinal powers and women even brought their new-born children to
drink the water here. It was supposed to be quite sweet, and was revered by Hindus and Muslims alike.

The structure had cool interiors and ample natural light, thanks to high ceilings and ventilator windows.
The architectural elements also gave the mosque exceptional acoustics, so that “a whisper from the
Babri Masjid could be heard clearly at the other end, 200 feet away and through the length and breadth
of the central courtyard” according to 19th century architect Graham Pickford. He continues that “for a
16th century building the deployment and projection of voice from the pulpit is considerably advanced,
the unique deployment of sound in this structure will astonish the visitor”.

Conflicts
Enough has been read and heard recently about the 60-year old case on which verdict will be
pronounced today. There are also reams of material on the destruction of the mosque in 1992 and the
subsequent tragic events across the country.

However, the first recorded incident of violence over the mosque is supposed to have been in 1853
during the reign of Awadh Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (a figure portrayed by Amjad Khan in the movie
‘Shatranj ke Khiladi’). Sporadic incidents over the next few years saw the British administration step in
and take preventive measures such as fortifying the boundaries.

That was then. And today, as we all await the considered decision of the Allahabad High Court, the
highest court of the state, we join the rest of the country in hoping for peace and good sense to prevail.

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