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Ayodhya mosque may be named after 1857 mutiny warrior Maulvi Ahmadullah ShahThe foundation stone of the mosque will be laid on Republic Day
Sanjay Pandey
DHNS
Last Updated IST
Blueprint of Ayodhya mosque to replace Babri Masjid, released by Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF). Its foundation will be laid on Republic Day. Credit: PTI Photo
Blueprint of Ayodhya mosque to replace Babri Masjid, released by Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF). Its foundation will be laid on Republic Day. Credit: PTI Photo

The foundation stone of the proposed mosque to be built at Dhannipur village near Ayodhya will be laid on Tuesday.

According to an office bearer of the Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust, the mosque could be named after Maulvi Ahamdullah Shah, one of the warriors of the 1857 rebellion against the British regime.

The secretary of the Trust, Athar Hussain said that the foundation stone laying ceremony would be a simple one and only around 100 people, including guests from Mumbai and Ayodhya, would be attending the same. ''The Trust members will plant saplings of trees....the Tricolour will be hoisted and children will sing the National Anthem,'' he added.

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Husssain said that there was a proposal to name the Mosque after Shah, who was a leading figure in the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, also known as the first war of independence, in the Avadh region.

Shah had led the rebel army of Avadh and fought the British forces at Chinhat near Lucknow and won the battle. His bravery was praised even by the Britishers. Hussain said that Shah was the symbol of India's composite culture and patriotism.

According to the sources, no prominent political dignitary would be invited at the foundation stone laying ceremony. The Mosque complex would also have a hospital, library, and a research centre.

The Sunni Central Waqf Board has been allotted five acres of land at Raunahin, about 30 kilometres from Ayodhya, for building a mosque as per the Supreme Court order. The Board has set up an Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust to oversee the construction of the mosque.

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(Published 25 January 2021, 13:47 IST)