Editing Babri Masjid (section)

=== Construction ===
The date of construction of the Babri Masjid is uncertain. The inscriptions on the Babri Masjid premises found in the 20th century state that the mosque was built in 935&nbsp;[[Hijri year|AH]] (1528–29) by [[Mir Baqi]] in accordance with the wishes of Babur.{{sfn|Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited|2016|page=xxix}} However, these inscriptions appear to be of a more recent vintage.{{sfn|Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited|2016|loc=Chapter 5}}

There are no records of the mosque from this period. The ''[[Baburnama]]'' (Chronicles of Babur) does not mention either the mosque or the destruction of a temple.<ref name="KE_1995">{{cite book |author=K. Elst |title=Indian Epic Values: Rāmāyaṇa and Its Impact |publisher=Peeters Publishers |year=1995 |isbn=9789068317015 |editor=Gilbert Pollet |pages=28–29 |chapter=The Ayodhya Debate |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVnK3q48dL0C&pg=PA28}}</ref> The ''[[Ramcharitamanas]]'' of [[Tulsidas]] (1574) and ''[[Ain-i-Akbari|Ain-i Akbari]]'' of [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak]] (1598) made no mention of a mosque either.{{sfn|Narain, The Ayodhya Temple Mosque Dispute|1993|p=17}}{{sfn|Jain, Rama and Ayodhya|2013|pp=165–166}} [[William Finch (merchant)|William Finch]], the English traveller who visited Ayodhya around 1611, wrote about the "ruins of the Ranichand [Ramachand] castle and houses" where Hindus believed the great God "took flesh upon him to see the ''tamasha'' of the world." He found ''pandas'' (Brahmin priests) in the ruins of the fort, recording the names of pilgrims, but there was no mention of a mosque.{{sfn|Jain, Rama and Ayodhya|2013|p=9, 120, 164}} [[Sir Thomas Herbert, 1st Baronet|Thomas Herbert]] described in 1634 the "pretty old castle of Ranichand built by a Bannyan Pagod of that name" which he described as an antique monument that was "especially memorable". He also recorded the fact of Brahmins recording the names of pilgrims.{{sfn|Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited|2016|p=xv}}
[[File:Ram Janmsthan in Tarah 179 Ayodhya.jpg|thumb|The earliest map of Ram Janmasthan at Ayodhya (1717 CE)]]
The earliest record of a mosque at the site traditionally believed by Hindus to be the [[Ram Janmabhoomi|birthplace of Rama]] comes from [[Jai Singh&nbsp;II]] (or "Sawai Jai Singh") – a Rajput noble in the Mughal court who purchased land and established a ''Jaisinghpura'' in the area surrounding the mosque in 1717 (as he had also done in several other Hindu religious places). The documents of Jai Singh preserved in the Kapad-Dwar collection in the [[City Palace, Jaipur|City Palace Museum]] of [[Jaipur]],{{efn|Professor [[Ram Nath|R.&nbsp;Nath]], who has examined these records, concludes that Jai Singh had acquired the land of ''Rama Janmasthan'' in 1717. The ownership of the land was vested in the deity. The hereditary title of the ownership was recognised and enforced by the Mughal State from 1717. He also found a letter from a ''gumastha'' Trilokchand, dated 1723, stating that, while under the Muslim administration people had been prevented from taking a ritual bath in the Saryu river, the establishment of the ''Jaisinghpura'' has removed all impediments.{{sfn|Jain, Rama and Ayodhya|2013|pp=112–114}}}} include a sketch map of the Babri Masjid site. The map shows an open court yard and a built structure with three temple spires (''sikharas'') resembling today's Babri Masjid with three domes. The courtyard is labelled ''janmasthan'' and shows a ''Ram chabutra''. The central bay of the built structure is labelled ''chhathi'', which also denotes birthplace.{{sfn|Jain, Rama and Ayodhya|2013|pp=112–115}}

[[Joseph Tiefenthaler]], a European Jesuit missionary who lived and worked in India for 38 years (1743–1785), visited Ayodhya in 1767. He noted one Ramkot fortress — comprising the house that was considered as the birthplace of Rama by Hindus — to have been demolished by [[Aurangzeb]] (r.&nbsp;1658–1707); however, "others" said it to have been demolished by Babar. A mosque with three domes was constructed in its place but Hindus continued to offer prayers at a mud platform that marked the birthplace of Rama.<ref name="Robert_2003">{{cite book |author=[[Robert Hugh Layton|Robert Layton]] and [[Julian Thomas]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hEOFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA2 |title=Destruction and Conservation of Cultural Property |publisher=Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-134-60498-2 |pages=2–9}}</ref>{{efn|{{harvnb|Kunal, Ayodhya Revisited|2016|pp=xvi}} quotes from [[Joseph Tiefenthaler|Tiefenthaler]]'s ''Descriptio Indiae'' ({{circa}} 1772): "Emperor Aurangzeb got the fortress called Ramcot demolished and got a Muslim temple, with triple domes, constructed at the same place. Others say that it was constructed by 'Babor'. Fourteen black stone pillars of 5 span high, which had existed at the site of the fortress, are seen there. Twelve of these pillars now support the interior arcades of the mosque. Two (of these 12) are placed at the entrance of the cloister. The two others are part of the tomb of some 'Moor'.... On the left is seen a square box, raised five inches from the ground, with borders made of lime, with a length of more than 5 ells and a maximum width of about 4. The Hindus call it Bedi, i.e., 'the cradle'. The reason for this is that once upon a time, here was a house where Beschan [Vishnu] was born in the form of Ram. It is said that his three brothers too were born here. Aurangzeb or Babor, according to others, got this place razed in order to deny them the noble people, opportunity of practising their superstitions..."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tiefenthaler |first=Joseph |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.143241/page/n299/mode/2up |title=Description historique et géographique de l'Inde |volume=1. ''La Géographie de l'Indoustan'' |location=Berlin |publication-date=1786 |pages=253–254 |language=fr |translator-last=Bernoulli |translator-first=Jean}}</ref>}}