New Delhi: The mercurial chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-backed Ram Janambhoomi Nyas Mahant Paramhans Ramachandra Das had only one dream in life – to see a grand Ram temple at the site where once the disputed Babri structure stood in the temple town of Ayodhya, and he became a leading architect of a volatile movement.

He walked, talked and spent his whole life working towards it – from fighting battles in the court to sitting on fast unto death on the streets of Ayodhya.

His passion for the temple was so much that once he said, "Forget the courts, even if Lord Ram comes and tells me he was not born at the disputed site, I will not believe it."

The death of the 92-year old Mahant has brought the curtains down on one of the important chapters of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Revered by the Sangh Parivar and a large number of followers for his command over Hindu religious scriptures, the Shree Mahant of powerful Digambari Ani Akhara of the Ramananda Sampradaya was equally hated by his opponents, who even accused him of a criminal background.

He was even targeted in a bomb attack at Faizabad in 2002.

Born as Chandreshwar Tiwari in 1913 in Singhanipur village of Bihar, the Mahant had been based in Ayodhya since 1934 and has been associated with the temple movement ever since the mysterious appearance of Ram Lalla's idol at the disputed site in 1949.

The Mahant kept the entire country on tenterhooks ahead of the much-hyped 'shiladaan' in March 2003 and a nervous Centre not only turned the temple town into a fortress, but also rushed the in-charge of the Ayodhya cell in Cabinet Secretariat Shathrughna Singh to receive the carved stone from him.

He reportedly even declined to attend Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's telephone call to him at that time, when he threatened to consume some poisonous substance and give up his life in support of the temple.

For the hundreds of journalists who had descended in Ayodhya for the event, the Mahant's sessions at the VHP workshop were not only informative but entertaining as well.

A scholar of Sanskrit language, the Mahant was equally at home with the latest political developments within the country and all over the globe.

Though he always felt that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had backtracked on their commitment to resolve the issue by March 12, 2002, Dass had in an interview with PTI in March 2003 said, "I don't agree with some people in VHP who criticised Prime Minister and BJP for backing out of their commitment. Vajpayee became Prime Minister only after BJP put behind its agenda and adopted the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) agenda. It is an irony that the Prime Minister, who is a neutral person, is attacked both by the opponents and proponents of the temple."

The Mahant, who opposed the ongoing excavation, believed that the references in religious texts and relics found so far should be the yardsticks for taking a decision in this regard.

"Where else is Ayodhya? Is there any other Ram Janambhoomi? It (disputed land) rightfully belongs to me. Let the Muslims be honest and return Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura to us and establish goodwill in the country," he used to say.

PTI