LUCKNOW, INDIA, April 1, 2003: Archaeologists have uncovered a broken pillar with a carving of a lotus flower at the site of the destroyed 16th century Babri Masjid, a government official said Tuesday. “The finding of a pillar and multilayered flooring suggests there exists a permanent structure beneath the soil,” said R.M. Srivastava, the senior government administrator in Ayodhya, where the site is located. “At this point we can only say that remains of a permanent structure lay buried in the soil. It could be anything — a temple, the masjid or even a kitchen structure.” The Babri Masjid at the site was demolished by Hindu radicals in 1992. Hindus claim the site in Ayodhya, 345 miles east of New Delhi, was the birthplace of Rama and that a Hindu temple was on the site before the masjid. The significance of the discovery is still unclear, but officials hope it will eventually help settle the debate about what was originally built on the site. The excavation has been ordered by the court charged with settling the issue.
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