Hanuman Garhi: Ayodhya's Pilgrim Magnet And Site Of 1855's Communal Violence Over Ram Janmabhoomi

In Ayodhya, a town steeped in religious lore, it's the Hanuman Garhi temple, rather than the well-known Ram Janmabhoomi site, that currently attracts the largest number of pilgrims.

It is visited by nearly 50,000 worshippers on significant religious days, according to a temple manager. 

The history of Hanuman Garhi, which owes its current architectural form to a Muslim Nawab and has seen experiments in communal co-existence such as holding of namaz at its premises, is however marked by strife, primarily with radical Muslim groups.

The root of the discord always was a mosque that was erected in the 16th century at Ram Janmabhoomi, a site revered by Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram, located a mere 700 meters away.

About 170 years ago, a series of intense conflicts played out at the steps of Hanuman Garhi, with a Muslim faction declaring ‘Jihad’ and vowing to destroy the temple.

Even today, the Muslim community in Ayodhya believes that a five-acre spot adjacent to the upcoming Ram Janmabhoomi temple is 'Ganj-e-Shahidan' – the site of mass burial of Muslims slain by the Bairagis of Hanuman Garhi.

Before we delve deeper into the conflicts, it is essential to provide an introduction of the Hanuman Garhi temple, Bairagis and Ramkot.

Ramkot

Ramkot, elevated in its topography and lined on one side by river Sarayu, is believed by residents of Ayodhya to have been the fortress of Lord Rama.

The area is home to three of the most significant religious landmarks in the holy city: Ram Janmabhoomi, Hanuman Garhi, and the resplendent Kanak Bhawan, each with connections to the epoch of the Ramayana. The Ayodhya railway station is also situated in Ramkot.

Visitors to Ayodhya typically commence their pilgrimage by praying to the murti at the raised Hanuman Garhi temple. They believe Lord Hanuman must grant them permission before they go to visit Lord Ram.

However, tradition suggests the initial stop should be the Mat Gajendra temple, named in honour of Vibhishan's son. 

Vibhishan, Ravana's younger brother, was anointed as Lanka's ruler by Lord Rama for his adherence to dharma. 

As per local lore, Vibhishan and his son accompanied Lord Rama in his return to Ayodhya after Ravana's defeat. He desired to settle here, but Lord Ram advised him to go back and govern Lanka. Vibhishan then entrusted his son to Lord Rama, who then appointed him as the security guard of Ramkot, known locally as 'kotwal'.

When this correspondent visited the Mat Gajendra temple, it was eerily devoid of visitors. Ayodhya is already known for its considerable monkey population, but here, the overwhelming presence of these animals made it a formidable challenge to even step inside.

Hanuman Garhi temple

It is said that upon his arrival in Ayodhya with Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman chose a hillock, now the temple site, as his dwelling. From this elevation, he watched over the inhabitants of Ramkot, especially those following Lord Ram's righteous path. Presently, visitors reach the temple by climbing a steep staircase of over 70 steps.

Today, it’s popular as the temple built by Nawabs of Awadh.

Locals narrate a tale that the son of the second Nawab of Awadh Safdar Jang (1739-1754) was suffering from leprosy but got cured through sacred ash from the temple. Grateful, the Nawab requested the temple Mahant to express a wish.

The Mahant said he worshipped the greatest King of all – Lord Ram – and needed nothing more. Next day, a Mantri of the Nawab again approached the temple Mahant, advising him to take up the offer, if only for the sake of the temple. 

The Mahant asked for construction of a fort to house the deity. The structure is said to have been completed during the reign of the Nawab’s grandson Asaf-ud-Daula, around two hundred years ago.

Today, the temple resembles a miniature fortress.

Acharya Dharmendra of Shriniwas Kot Vaishno Sewa Ashram, situated in Ramkot, says that prior to the fort-like temple, there existed a smaller shrine erected during the reign of King Vikramaditya. 

Bairagis

Ayodhya is often called a land of “bandar and bairagi” (monkeys and monks), where ‘bairagi’ is a name given to warrior-monks who are members of various akharas - monastic establishments - attached to the Ramanandi sect of Vaishnava Sampradaya that is the dominant religious sect in the town.

Vaishnava Sampradaya lays emphasis on the worship of Lord Vishnu. The Ramanandi sect, founded in the 14th century by Prayagraj-born Swami Ramanand, specifically focuses on the adoration of Lord Ram, venerated as the seventh avatar, or incarnation, of Lord Vishnu.

Mahant Premdas, who is the current ‘Gaddi Nasheen’ (resident head-priest) of Hanuman Garhi temple, says that until the 17th century, Ayodhya was a hub of Shaivism denomination that would be in constant conflict with the Vaishnavites.

Shaivism believes Lord Shiva to be the supreme being while Vaishnavism revers Lord Vishnu. 

To counter the Shaivites, Swami Balanand from the Ramanandi sect founded Ramanandi akharas in early 18th century to create monks training in fighting. The monks, who were given the name bairagi, had to adhere to a set of rules – they must wear white unstitched clothes, a necklace of Tulsi beads, janeu and tilak; hold a kamandal; sport a shikha; obey their guru without question; and tattoo their arm with a burning piece of metal shaped as bow and arrow.

The bow-and-arrow tattoo rule was created for identification within the bairagi tradition, said Mahant Premdas.

Three akharas were founded – Digamber akhara as ‘Raja’ (king), Nirmohi akhara as ‘Mantri’ (commander) and Nirvani akhara as ‘Sena’ (army), he said.

After proliferation of bairagis, Ayodhya ceased to be a hub of Shaivism, and came to be dominated by Vaishnavites. 

Hanuman Garhi is managed by Nirvani akhara, who was once headed by Mahant Abhiram Das, revered in Ayodhya as ‘Ram Janmabhoomi Uddharak’ (saviour of birthplace of Lord Ram). Presently, his disciple, Acharya Satyendra Das, is chief priest of the under-construction Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

Mahant Premdas estimates the current number of bairagis in all of Ayodhya to be more than 15,000 while those associated with Hanuman Garhi to be around 600, all from Nirvani akhara. A large number of bairagis hail from Bihar.

He says that during the 19th century, the number of bairagis associated with Hanuman Garhi was 56, and explains, “We have a tradition where bairagis are offered prasad after a ritual. The offerings are supposed to be 56 in number.”

This correspondent met some bairagis in the area surrounding the temple, living in ashrams associated with various akharas.

Nityanand Das, born Nityanand Tiwari, hails from Gorakhpur. He came to Ayodhya when he was still in school and joined the Nirvani Ani akhara. He is a wrestler and his daily schedule is like this: Waking up at dawn, taking a bath in river Sarayu, doing puja rituals, wrestling practice in a ground nearby, returning to his ashram and eating almonds’ paste. After lunch, he sleeps for a few hours, and repeats a similar schedule.   

He said that only a small percentage of bairagis practice wrestling or other warrior skills while most spend their time in managing ashrams and doing “puja-paath”.

Asked why he wore saffron instead of the traditional white, he said that saffron was all the rage among bairagis now. “It’s the era of saffron,” he said.

The conflicts in 1855

As per various British era records, the existence of a mosque on Ram Janmabhoomi, built by Babar’s army, was a constant cause of bitterness between Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya, and violent conflicts would erupt often.

Here is what the Faizabad District Gazetteer (HR Nevill, 1905, page 173) says about it:

“…It is locally affirmed that at the time of the Musalman conquest there were three important Hindu shrines at Ajodhya and little else. These were the Janamasthan temple, the Swargaddwar, and the Treta-kaThakur, and each was successively made the object of attention of different Musalman rulers. The Janamasthan was in Ramkot and marked the birthplace of Rama. In 1528 A.D. Babar came to Ajodhya and halted here for a week. He destroyed the ancient temple and on its site built a mosque, still known as Babar’s mosque. The materials of the old structure were largely employed, and many of the columns are in good preservation; they are of close-grained black stone, called by the natives kasauti and carved with various devices…This desecration of the most sacred spot in the city caused great bitterness between Hindus and Musalmans.”

The Gazetteer records a violent episode in 1855, where a Muslim army occupied the Janmabhoomi and tried to destroy Hanuman Garhi, but was met with fierce counter-assault. It is said that 75 people from the Muslim army were killed by Bairagis. The account says (page 175):

“...On many occasions the feeling led to bloodshed, and in 1855 an open fight occurred, the Musalmans occupying the Janamasthan in force and thence making a desperate assault on the Hanuman Garhi. They charged up the steps of the temple, but were driven back with considerable loss. The Hindus then made a counter-attack and stormed the Janamasthan, at the gate of which seventy-five Musalmans were buried, the spot being known as the Ganj Shahidan or the martyrs’ resting-place.”

In the months leading up to the August 2020 bhoomi pujan of the Ram temple, MR Shamshad, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, urged the temple's trust to safeguard a five-acre tract adjoining the upcoming Ram temple, identifying it as Ganj-e-Shahidan.

However, this narrative was challenged by Ayodhya's then District Magistrate, Anuj Jha, who dismissed the existence of any graveyard within the 67-acre Ram Janmabhoomi area.

The Gazetteer records that after this clash, Hindus no longer had free access to inner precincts of the mosque.

British official Patrick Carnegy, in his 1870 account ‘A Historical Sketch of Tahsil Fyzabad, Zillah Fyzabad’, also noted that access inside the mosque was denied to Hindus after this. He wrote (page 21):

“The Janmasthan is within a few hundred paces of the Hanuman Garhi. In 1855 when a great rupture took place between the Hindus and Mahomedans, the former occupied the Hanuman Garhi in force, while the Musalmans took possession of the Janmasthan. The Mahomedans on that occasion actually charged up the steps of the Hanuman Garhi, but were driven back with considerable loss. The Hindus then followed up this success, and at the third attempt, took the Janmasthan, at the gate of which 75 Mahomedans are buried in the “Martyrs’ grave” (Ganj-shahid.)

"Several of the King’s Regiments were looking on all the time, but their orders were not to interfere. It is said that up to that time the Hindus and Mahomedans alike used to worship in the mosque-temple. Since British rule a railing has been put up to prevent disputes, within which in the mosque the Mahomedans pray, while outside the fence the Hindus have raised a platform on which they make their offerings.”

A slightly varied account is presented by author Aijaz Ahmad, who claims the number of Muslims who were killed was 269.

This account also speaks of involvement in the conflict of an Islamic scholar named Maulvi Fazle Haq Khairabadi (1797-1861), incidentally the great-great-grandfather of noted Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar. It says: 

The story about the Hanuman Garhi being built over a mosque, as mentioned in the above account, was circulated by Maulvi Ameer Ali, but was found to be baseless after an investigation.

In this regard, Lucknow & Oude in the Mutiny: A Narrative and a Study (McLeod Innes, 1895, page 58-59), says:

“The city of Fyzabad it has been already shown, was notorious as a centre of religious fanaticism and strife. And now Moulvie, named Ameer Ali, had started a story that the Hannooman Gurhee, the great Hindoo temple, had been built on the site of a Mahomedan mosque; having then collected a band of followers, he had attacked the temple, but had been repulsed by the Hindoos who had flocked in to its defence. The story was groundless, and was proved to be so by reference to the archives at Delhi; still the Nuwab by his attitude encouraged the Moulvie; and a religious war would have ensued had not General Outram stepped in and insisted on the maintenance of law and order. The Moulvie, however, continued his threatening attitude towards the temple, and eventually, trusting the secret support of the Nuwab, advanced to its attack; but was met by troops commanded by English officers, with the result that he was himself killed and his followers dispersed.”

When asked about these incidents, Mahant Premdas, aged around 70, said these are subjects of historical research and he lacked detailed knowledge.

Similarly, the resident sadhus, local shopkeepers, and temple visitors, all seemed to have little awareness or information to offer regarding these events.

Changing landscape of Hanuman Garhi and Ramkot

Locals say the land around the Hanuman temple was previously a tamarind orchard. 

Patrick Carnegy’s book notes that until the reign of Safdar Jang, “offerings to Hanuman, of flowers, red-lead etc., were made at the foot of a glorious old tamarind tree, known by the name of Ram Chaura.”

The current landscape, crowded with visitors, shops and scattered footwear, bears no trace of its past. When asked, locals drew a blank at the mention of Ram Chaura. 

Kishen Kumar, aged 61, whose family has been running a laddoo prasad shop outside the temple for more than a hundred years, said a large old tamarind tree at the foot of the temple was cut down two decades ago due to safety concerns. 

Currently, only one or two tamarind trees remain near the temple, located on the back side amidst several akharas.

The area, indeed the entire Ramkot, looks like a large construction zone.

Road widening projects have led to the demolition or reduction of shops near key temples. Several shopkeepers lament inadequate compensation. Some, like Bajrang Prasad Gupta, who owns a century-old sweets shop near Hanuman Garhi, express mixed feelings, citing potential benefits from increased pilgrim numbers.

Acharya Dharmendra notes that while Ramkot's current demography leans towards Hindus, it was heavily populated by the Muslim community during the nearly 150-year-long Nawab era in Awadh, who also owned most of the land.