Monday, October 11, 2010

Ayodhya Verdict and Rama’s Birthplace

How did we get so obsessed with the exact spot where Lord Rama may or may not have been born? If he is God incarnate, what is the significance of birth and death?

Is God born? And does God die?

If not, then every spot on earth is just another spot on earth; sacred if you believe it to be part of God's creation and infused with God's presence; just as little or as much as the next spot. And no place on earth then is a place for disharmony and killing.

Background: A High Court in India ruled recently that land that once held a 16th Century mosque, demolished in 1992 by a Hindu mob, should be split three ways between "Hindus," "Muslims" and the Nirmohi Akhara (a Hindu organization). The Allahabad High Court found the Babri Masjid (mosque) had been built – back in the 16th century – over a site held by Hindus to be the birthplace of Lord Rama, believed by Hindus to be an incarnation of God.