The lawyer representing the Hindu nationalists in the case of the disputed temple site in Ayodhya, V.P. Sharma, left, and counsel for the Muslim community, Zafaryab Jilani, right, discuss the Archeological Survey of India’s report in front of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court in the Uttar Pradesh capital, on Aug. 25. (Photo: AFP)

NEW DELHI: In a report likely to bolster a sometimes violent Hindu nationalist campaign to build a temple at the site of a 16th-century mosque, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said last week it has found evidence that a structure resembling an ancient Hindu temple may lie under the mosque.

[The Allahabad High Court, which has been trying to resolve the dispute over Ayodhya, had ordered the excavation and on Aug. 25 it made public the experts’ report prepared by the ASI, reports Reuters.]

Hindu nationalists say the findings of a court-ordered excavation prove that a temple, not a mosque, should be built at the site in the town of Ayodhya. They vowed to mount protests if a state court rules against them in a centuries-old dispute that has sowed division between the groups.

A ruling in favor of a mosque “would be a very perverse ruling,” said Ashok Chowgule, a leader of the World Hindu Council, a Hindu nationalist group involved in the campaign.

But Muslim groups say the remains are those of an ancient mosque. “This report is misleading, vague, self-contradictory and concocted,” said Sayeed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, a spokesman for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which opposes the building of a temple.

The report said a “huge structure” was found beneath the mosque, but stopped short of declaring it a temple. It said 50 pillars, a water chute and other artifacts found were “indicative” of temples built in northern India 500 years before the Babri mosque was built.

Encouraged by political leaders, a Hindu nationalist mob tore down the Babri mosque in 1992, leading to Hindu-Muslim clashes that killed thousands across India. Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born at the site. They believe that the Muslim conqueror Babar destroyed the temple in the 16th century and built a mosque.

Hindu nationalists say the same thing occurred at 30,000 other sites and are demanding that temples be built at two, Varanasi and Mathura.

The Archaeological Survey was ordered to excavate the site by the high court in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The court is hearing the case, which is technically over who should hold title to the land.

(By Permission, The New York Times)