Background

With the reconstruction of Ayodhya Ram Mandir nearing completion, it is time to look back on the long and painful history of its destruction by the Moghul invader Babur in 1526, the indomitable spirit of the Hindu community to keep its memory alive, the never-ending struggle to regain its possession, and, of course, the painful saga of the last seven decades to reclaim the right to rebuild the Mandir during the so-called “Independent India.”

In preparation for the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and the “Pran Pratishtha” ceremony on January 22, 2024, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), in collaboration with the Hindu University of America (HUA), organized a series of webinars to reprise the long history of the Hindu struggle and eventual victory to reclaim this sacred symbol of our civilization narrative. This “Good over Evil” struggle was chronicled in five parts:

Webinar 1: Archaeological Findings (Speaker: Sh. KK Muhammed)

Webinar 2: Historical Perspective (Speaker: Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi)

Webinar 3: The Legal Case (Speaker: Sh. Vishnu Shankar Jain)

Webinar 4: The Lessons Learned (Dr. Anand Ranganathan)

Webinar 5: Contribution of American Hindus (4-person panel)

Webinar 3 Speaker Background

Sh. Vishnu Shankar Jain is a renowned Indian lawyer who is currently involved in a case related to the Gyanvapi Mosque dispute. He is the son of senior Supreme Court advocate Harishankar Jain, who represented the Hindu Mahasabha in the Ram Janma Bhoomi case. Vishnu Jain has been a litigator or attorney in at least 12 cases involving Hindu/Jain deities. Along with his father, he is fighting on behalf of Hindus in 110 such disputed cases, including Mathura’s Krishna Janma Bhoomi, the Qutub Minar complex dispute, and the claim of the Taj Mahal as a Shiva temple, among several others. Vishnu Jain is also a spokesman for the Hindu Justice Front.