Bhagwan Sri Rama Lala Virajman

To resume the narrative, the worship of Sri Rama Janma Bhumi, which was by itself regarded as a Deity by the Hindus, and the Idol of Bhagwan Sri Rama Lala Virajman there continued inspite of the demolition by Aurangzeb of the Temple within the courtyard of the building. There is no evidence of any Namaz having been offered in the building during the Moghul times, or during the rule of the Nawabs of Avadh. On the other hand, the historical material, which has come to light so far, indicates that the Hindus continued their worship at Sri Rama Janma Bhumi. The Gazetteer shows that before the annexation of Avadh by the British the whole place was occupied by the Hindus, and after the 'mutiny' they divided it into two parts, reserving the outer part, which was the only means of access into it, for the Hindus, who were prohibited from entering the inner part. The partition of Sri Rama Janma Bhumi was thus the first step taken by the British towards their policy of Divide and Rule: The Partition of India in 1947 was their last parting kick. The building with the inner courtyard was described as 'Masjid Janmasthan' by the British, although it was no mosque and its entrance was effectively obstructed by the possession of the Hindus over the outer courtyard in which they continued their worship. The Mahant wanted to erect a Temple over the Chabutra on which the worship was carried on, but permission was refused by the British government. These facts are borne out by the judgment dated 24.12.1885 in suit no.61 1280 of 1885 of the Court of Sub Judge, Fyzabad. The fact that the so called Masjid was built after destroying a Hindu Temple at Sri Rama Janma Bhumi is further proved by the Appellate Court's judgment in that case.

Such a place could not be a mosque. Apart from the attempt by the British to treat it as a mosque and the making of a Nankar grant of Zamindari in favour of the descendants of Mir Baqi, there is no evidence worth the name of any Namaz having been said there. There is no evidence of any descendant of Mir Baqi having functioned as the Mutawalli of the mosque. On the other hand there is evidence to show that they denied that the said grant of zamindari was for maintenance of the mosque and instead claimed that it was a Nankar, that is, a grant for their personal maintenance, granted by the British for services rendered to them.