Who Are the Nirmohi Akhara

The Allahabad High Court delivered a complex verdict in the Babri Masjid case today, dividing the sacred site into three parts – one for Muslims and two for Hindus.They had to deal in their case with a most unusual cast of characters, including the Hindu god Lord Ram himself, who was named as a party to the case by one of the (human) Hindu litigants
One third of the site will go to the Nirmohi Akhara, a group of Hindu ascetics who are devotees of none other than Lord Ram. Their name means, roughly, “Group Without Attachment.” They have given up the material world for the company of their god. They are “sadhus” – or Hindu holy men often characterized by the hermetic tendencies. They claimed in court that there is no mosque called Babri Masjid at the site in Ayodhya, nor did the Mughal commander Babur make any conquest or any occupation of territory in India. They also claimed the site is of ancient antiquity and has existed before the living memory of man. Lord Ram and his court representatives receive another third of the site.
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