The mosque in Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, which is set to be built following the Supreme Court verdict in the Babri Masjid case, could be dedicated to Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, who had earned the title of ‘Awadh’s Lighthouse of Rebellion’ during the 1857 mutiny against the British, reported PTI.
The Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, the trust specifically constituted by the Sunni Waqf Board for the development of the mosque, is considering to name it after Shah, trust secretary Athar Hussain said, according to PTI.
The Babri mosque was named after Mughal emperor Babar.
To make the Ayodhya mosque project a symbol of communal brotherhood and patriotism, the trust has decided to dedicate the project to Shah, who represented these values and was also a true follower of Islam, according to sources.
During India’s independence struggle, Shah launched several revolts in the Awadh region. He was martyred on June 5, 1858, and is remembered for his courage, valour and organisational capabilities.
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According to researcher and historian Ram Shankar Tripathi, “Besides being a practising Muslim, Shah was also the epitome of religious unity and Ganga-Jamuni culture of Ayodhya. In the revolt of 1857, royalties like Nana Sahib of Kanpur, Kunwar Singh of Arrah fought alongside Shah. His 22nd Infantry Regiment was commanded by Subedar Ghamandi Singh and Subedar Umrao Singh in the famous Battle of Chinhat.”
On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court gave the verdict in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque in the same town. After that, a plot was allotted in Dhannipur village in Sohaval Tehsil of Ayodhya for the same by the state government.
The blueprint of the currently unnamed mosque was unveiled on December 19, 2020.
