When Justice D.V. Sharma of Allahabad High Court in the O.O.S. No.5 of 1989 and R.S. No. 236/1989 expressed his doubts on present Ajodhya of Uttar Pradesh as the real puranic Ajodhya, as a scholar, I intended to become an Intervener in the Ramajanmabhumi-Babri Masjid Case, then, pending in Hon’ble Supreme Court.
Justice Sharma has referred to a number of books in this particular judgment, which I felt, should be read by those interested persons who want to frame their opinion on the geographical situation of the ancient Ajodhya.
Cunningham is singularly responsible to divert the geographical situation of all the places of India in his book, The Ancient Geography of India(AGI), in which he has tried to retrace Hiouen Tsiang to determine the places of this Chinese pilgrim who visited ‘Madhyadesha’ in 7th c A.D. He has penned this book while he was still holding the post of Director General of ASI in colonial time; all later day scholars who wrote books on ancient India referred to AGI to enrich their contents. Cunningham very cunningly created facts for his book by creating the new district of ‘Oudh’ in Uttar Pradesh around 1881-2 to establish the truth he has put in AGI. His book carries few pages on itinerary of Hiouen Tsiang which shows Cunningham was a co-traveller of this Chinese pilgrim in 7th c A.D.
He has shown in his book ‘Eastern India as same as East of India’; ‘Northern India as same as North of India’ etc.
Tendency of Indian academic scholarship is to follow the scholarship from abroad, which they think, gives extra mileage in academics.
When Justice Sharama in his beautiful judgment pronounced his doubts on the geographical position of ancient Ajodhya, not a single scholar quoted it, or a single article was written on it in the media. In remained in the dustbin of classroom Indian minds, and the matter continues to travel in the pages of everyday newspapers and speeches of those opinion leaders whom history creates today to discard tomorrow.
Alexander visited ancient Ajodhya, but it is not in our classroom texts ; we find this Macedonian king’s invasion is called ‘India Invasion’ in history, but European scholars, and scholars of Iran and Egypt share this account in a braod historic platform, and they never take name of India when they write on Alexander.
Cunningham drew two parallel lines in the middle of the today’s political map of India, and named it ‘Mid-India’ to which other European scholars identify as ‘Middle District’, and ‘Middle Country’. Indian purans call it Madhyadesha, Nabhsthala, and Madhaybubana. It is ‘centre of the earth’ of other ancient texts. This writes the whole truth about all world epics that Ancient India is not the present political India.