Ayodhya: From saints to lawyers, 15 lesser-known figures behind Ram Mandir

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Pran Pratishtha ceremony on Monday, one is reminded of the dramatis personae of the Ram Janmabhumi momvement since the 1949 when the litigation over the dispute began. LK Advani of the BJP, then UP chief minister Kalayan Sngh and Ashok Singhal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have been known faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement who led from the front for decades. However, from saints to lawyers to politicians to common people, the movment was built, led and run by a diverse set of people. Below are some of the personalities associated with the movement who are not as well known as its top leaders.

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Digvijay Nath
He was the mahant of the Gorakhnath Math where the current mahant is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Appointed as mahant in 1935, Digvijay Nath embraced the cause which turned the Gorakhnath Math into the base of right-wing political activities. In 1937, he joined the Hindu Mahasabha and started mobilising Hindus for Ram temple. In 1949, he led a team of volunteers to Ayodhya, held a meeting with Pateshwari Prasad Singh, the then Raja of Balrampur, and Swami Karpatri Maharaj, a prominent seer.

In the intervening night of December 22-23, 1949, when Ram's idol was placed in the then disputed structure, Digvijay Nath was in Ayodhya where he motivated volunteers to start prayers. Mahant Digvijay Nath continued to lead the movement till he died in 1969.

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Abhiram Das
The mahant from Bihar arrived in Ayodhya in the 1930s with the goal of restoring Ram to his birthplace. Known by the moniker of ‘Uddharak baba’,or liberator, he