AYODHYA, INDIA, August 30, 2002: A parallel body of Hindu saints on Thursday resolved to work out an amicable solution to the centuries-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masj dispute in Ayodhya. Drawn from local congregations and a few other north Indian religious centers, these saints met formally for the first time on Thursday under the banner of the Vishwa Dharam Raksha Parishad. “We want to see a grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram, but we do not want the foundations of this temple to be laid on violence and communal disharmony,” said Baba Dharam Das, who is the caretaker of Ayodhya’s oldest temple, Hanuman Garhi. Brahmaswaroop Brahmachari, a prominent Hindu seer from Haridwar, was critical of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. “[The] VHP has only exploited sadhus and played with their religious feelings and sentiments,” he said. “I find that Hindus and Muslims enjoy utmost cordial relations in Ayodhya, but communal trouble is fomented by people sitting in New Delhi.” Another saint from Haridwar, Hans Das, who is also the general secretary of the Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti said, “India is not a nation of Hindus alone — it is a land of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians who have equal right over this soil.”
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