Lucknow: The mosque complex that is going to be constructed on a 5-acre land in Dhanipur village of Ayodhya will not be named after any Mughal ruler.
The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, the trust constituted by the Sunni Waqf Board to oversee construction of the mosque complex, has decided that neither the main mosque nor any other buildings to be built inside the complex, will be named after any Mughal emperor.
The foundation officials are instead planning to name the Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre, which is going to be built inside the complex, after freedom fighter Ahmadullah Shah, alias ‘Maulvi Faizabadi’, who was prominently associated with 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, also referred to as the First War of Independence. A proposal in this regard is under consideration.
The mosque will be named as Dhanipur Mosque for now, the officials said.
In a conversation with ThePrint, Athar Hussain, secretary of the foundation, said, “The temple-mosque disputes are now issues of the distant past.”
“We are living in a free India. It’s time to narrate the stories of those who have contributed towards this freedom. It is our endeavor to let the coming generations know about their stories. That is why we have clearly stated that neither this new mosque will be named Babri Masjid, nor it will be dedicated to any other Mughal ruler,” he said.
“People were making all kinds of speculations, but now all of us live in a new and democratic India, and under these circumstances, there is no need to reminisce about any Mughal ruler,” he added.
Also read: New Ayodhya mosque will be unique, reflect ‘Hindustaniyat’, says Jamia dean who will design it
Who was Maulvi Faizabadi?
Talking about Shah, Hussain said the freedom fighter was a native of Faizabad — renamed as Ayodhya by the Yogi Adityanath government in 2018 — and was also known as ‘Maulvi Faizabadi’.
Born in 1787, Shah had led the Sepoy revolt from the Awadh region. He died on 5 June 1858.
The mosque complex will be presented as a symbol of communal harmony and patriotism, said Hussain.
Another official associated with the foundation, who didn’t want to be named, said most people in the Faizabad region are familiar with Shah’s name.
Several British officers like George Bruce Malleson have mentioned Shah’s courage, valour and organisational capabilities. In the book ‘History of Indian Mutiny’, based on the Sepoy Mutiny, Malleson has mentioned Shah on several occasions, added the official.
Sepoy Mutiny to be a research topic
In addition to the main mosque, a 200-bed hospital and a community kitchen will also be constructed at the mosque complex. The Indo-Islamic centre will contain a library, a museum and a publication house.
Retired JNU professor Padmashree Pushpesh Pant has been appointed as an advisor for the library and museum.
Scholars related to all streams of Indo-Islamic culture will often assemble at the centre and conduct research on all kinds of subjects.
According to a source in the foundation, the Sepoy Mutiny will be included as a topic of research as the incident has links with the Awadh region and Shah has been an important part of it.
The construction of the complex will start soon as the foundation stone-laying ceremony has already taken place on 26 January, during which the national flag was hoisted.
Sources in the foundation said nearly Rs 105 crore will be spent on this project.
Also read: No domes, no minarets — Ayodhya’s new masjid to replace Babri gets a futuristic design
Yes, Let’s forget that Mughals made India their homeland and that they gave us nothing.
Great idea
Worth a salute
I’ll try to come to India to do kar-seva for this mosque!
Mera India badal raha hai!