Clarion India
LUCKNOW – Before the demolition of Babri Masjid, the then PM Narasimha Rao had asked chief architect of the Ram temple project Chandrakantbhai Sompura whether the mosque, too, could be part of the plan and whether the Babri Masjid and a Ram temple could be next to one another.
77-year-old Sompura told The Times of India that while seeking his opionion, Rao had been hinting that the mosque could remain where it was and the temple could be buildt from beyond the Ram Chabutra. But the idea could not be materialised due to Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s opposition.
“The PM called me up and asked if the mosque, with its three iconic domes, could be part of the design along with the temple. I communicated the idea to VHP, who had roped me in for the project, but it opposed it and the idea got buried in time,” said Sompura.
“VHP was adamant if the 6-foot-by-3-foot space of the khatiya (bed) where Bhagwan Ram was born is not the centre of the Ram mandir, it wouldn’t matter where the temple came up. The Ram mandir had to be built at the very spot where the structure (mosque) was as they believed Lord Ram was born in the area right under the central dome,” he added.
