Hemant Sharma

Ayodhya is an intellectual effort to measure the depth and arrive at the truth of the lingering issue of the Ayodhya temple.

Ayodhya means the invincible. We all know the meaning of ‘yuddh’ or war. ‘Yodhya’ means the one worthy of a ‘yuddh’ or war. One engages in a war with whom they feel they can conquer. So Ayodhya spells out as ‘that which cannot be conquered’. But the memory of the demolished domes stands erect in the memory of the nation setting aside the literal meaning of the name. The memory of the domes creates a perception of ‘the ruler’ versus ‘the ruled’ in our subconscious.

For the last hundred years, the country’s politics has been revolving around these domes. The narrative has been lingering on for generations. Innumerable arguments, extensive discussions, yet no conclusion. Everything revolved around these domes. Even now it’s all about the domes even when they don’t exist. There hasn’t been an intellectual effort herculean enough to measure its depth, sharpness and truth, which can reclaim the cardinal connection of the present and the future with the history of the land.