Thread by @AudreyTruschke

Some folks have asked for basic information about the #BabriMasjid, so here goes.

Warning: Only read if you’re interested in history, not communal politics.

#THREAD

The Babri Masjid was probably built in 1528 by a general of Babur. At the time, it likely wasn’t a big deal. Babur doesn’t even mention it in his memoirs.

Babri Masjid may have been built over temple ruins, but, owing to bad and politicised archaeology, we aren’t sure.

If it was built on temple ruins, they could be Jain, Hindu, or Buddhist in origin. They also could’ve been ruins for hundreds of years by the 1520s (or not).

In premodern India, people built over ruins all the time. Sometimes, they had just destroyed a temple, but, more often, it had fallen into disuse for other reasons, thus leaving a holy site available and with free building materials.

Back to Babri Masjid...

Nobody hears anything about the Babri Masjid for over 300 years, until, in the 19th century, colonial records indicate a dispute at the site.

What happened for those 300+ years? Probably nothing noteworthy. The Babri Masjid was one of thousands of mosques in North India.

So, why did the site become disputed in the 19th century? Well, the British were fanning the flames of communal tensions. Also related to colonialism, some Hindus had developed an interest in claiming a single birthplace for Ram (earlier, there were multiple birthplaces)

The rest is modern history.

The Babri Masjid’s premodern story is, well, very premodern. It does not serve modern political interests, and that’s why we hear about it less.