Photos of deities found at disputed site in Ayodhya: Ram Lalla's advocate to SC

New Delhi: The deity of Ram Lalla Virajman on Friday advanced archaeological evidence in support of its claim to the disputed site being the Janamastan of Lord Rama asserting that there were huge structure existed at the place since second and third century BC.

Countering the claim of Sunni Waqf Board to the disputed site metely because they had offered prayers, senior counsel C.S.Vaidyanathan told the five-judge constitution bench headed by the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that there are large structures of public character dating back to 2/3 century BC and over the centuries there were construction activities at the site.

Taking the bench, also comprising Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, through the report of the Archaeological Survey of India which had undertaken the excavation of site, Vaidyanathan said that starting with the 2/3 century BC and first and second century AD and onward, the area in and around the disputed site had witnessed construction activities of large structures.

Vaidyanathan is arguing for the deity of Ram Lalla Virajman. However, the court questioned how the antiquity of objects that have surfaced in the course of excavation could be determined and what was being inferred was in the nature of “conjecture” and how the finding of the huge structure of public character could be linked to the disputed site.

Senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan appearing for Sunni Waqf Board told the court that there could be no carbon dating of the bricks or iron or steel that have emerged from the excavation.

Vaidyanathan also mentioned to the construction activities during Kushan period and by King Vikramaditya. He said that the structures that have surfaced in the course of excavations, that were ordered by the Allahabad high court, points to huge public places structures measuring 50 meters by 30 meters with large numbers of pillars engraved with the images of the Gods including Lord Shiva in Tandav mudra.
 
Brushing aside Sunni claim over the disputed site, Vaidyanathan that merely offering prayers does not give them ownership right unless they were owning it prior in time. He wondered if Muslims offer prayer at the street could they claim its ownership.
 
He said how could Muslim lay claim to a place as Mosque whose pillars have engraving of Hindu Gods. With such images it can’t be a mosque as it goes against the tenets of Islam.
 
The five judge constitution bench is hearing a batch of cross petitions challenging Allahabad High Court judgment giving two parts of the disputed site to proponent of temple and one to Sunni Waqf Board.
 
Vaidyanathan would continue arguments on oral evidence on the disputed site begin the birth place of Lord Rama.