India News ---Ayodhya ---Nirmohi Akhara: Who Are They?

India Law NewsNirmohi Akhara: Who Are They And What Did They Get In The Ayodhya Verdict

01, Otober 2010.

Palash Das
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The Ayodhya verdict gave a part of the land to the Nirmohi Akhara. So, who are they?

The Nirmohi Akhara is a group of “sadhus” who have sacrificed worldly pleasures and given their lives to being dedicated to Lord Ram. They claim that the Ram Janmabhoomi has existed much before the “living memory of man”.

This group of religious ascetics follows an independent religious faith and customs similar to Hinduism, but believes only in Lord Ram. The current chief of the Akhara is Mahant Bhaskar Das. It is recognized by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, which belongs to the Vaishnava Sampradaya section.

The members of Nirmohi Akhara, which literally means “Group Without Attachment”, are among the original plaintiffs in the Ayodhya title suits, with the only other contestants for the land being the Waqf Board. In fact, petitioner Ramesh Chandra Tripathi was backed only by the Nirmohi Akhara.

Nirmohi Akhara way back in 1885 expressed a desire to construct a temple on Ram Chabutra, next to the Babri Masjid. It was in January 1885 that they filed a suit with the sub-judge of Faizabad, seeking permission to move ahead. Fearing unrest, the court denied permission. Again in 1959, post partition, the Akhara filed a suit to take over the Baabri Masjid site.

The Akhara has always been at loggerheads with the VHP. The Akhara has time and again rebuffed claims made by the VHP on the Ayodhya temple issue. In fact in 1992, the then chief Jagannath Das filed a Rs. 2,000 crore suit against the VHP in a matter related with Baabri Masjid. He then claimed, “Nirmohi Akhara is the only institution which has the authority to build the magnificent temple that it has long been petitioning for.”

The Allahabad High Court pronounced its verdict, giving Nirmohi Akhara the Ram Chabootara and Sita Rasoi areas.

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