Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (translation: Ram Birthplace Trust) is an organisation formed as a trust to promote and oversee the construction of a temple in Ayodhya, India at the Ram Janmabhoomi, the reputed site of the birth of Rama, the seventh and one of the most popular Avatars of Hindu God Vishnu. The Nyas was formed by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council).
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Ayodhya dispute
Several Hindu religious and political organisations have sought to construct a temple on the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, to commemorate Rama. However, the Babri Mosque stood on the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, was constructed by Mughal emperor Babur after he demolished the original Rama temple on the site. The issue was taken up by organisations such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a major Hindu nationalist political party. In 1992, a procession led by the VHP near the mosque ended up demolishing the mosque, which caused major communal violence across India between Hindus and Muslims.
Foundation
The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (RJN) was founded as an independent trust by members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad on January 25, 1993 to take charge of the site of Ram Janmabhoomi and oversee the construction of the proposed Rama temple. Ramchandra Das Paramhans (1913-2003) was head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. Its members argued that the Nyas was created so that the secular Government of India would not control the site and end up involving itself in the construction of the temple. The RJN also operates workshops in Karsevakpuram (City of Volunteers), a major encampment of volunteer activists (called Karsevaks) outside Ayodhya preparing to undertake the construction of the temple.
2010 Ayodhya verdict
The leaders of the RJN welcomed the decision of the Allahabad High Court to distribute the disputed territory into three parts, with one-third going to the Muslim Sunni Waqf Board and another to the Nirmohi Akhara Hindu denomination. However, the RJN claimed that it was the rightful party to take possession of the land and said it would appeal to the Supreme Court of India to seek possession of the entire site.