Ayodhya dispute: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar meets Muslim cleric

Art of Living (AoL) founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday met Muslim cleric Maulana S. Nadvi in Lucknow to discuss the Ayodhya issue.

After the meeting, Ravi Shankar said that the talk between two was initiated for harmonious co-existence of both communities and construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The spiritual guru further claimed that there is full cooperation from the Muslim community over the Ayodhya matter.

Talking to the media, Ravi Shankar said, "We have been getting good responses from every side. We are talking about harmonious co-existence of both communities and construction of grand Ram Temple. There is a lot of goodwill and cooperation from Muslim community."

Reportedly, in last month, a delegation from Lucknow met Ravishankar in Bengaluru to find an amicable solution to the issue.

The AoL chief had last year in October offered to make a fresh start in the dialogue process in connection with Ayodhya dispute, saying that he was willing to talk to the stakeholders to find a middle ground.

The Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is a century-old issue between Hindus and Muslims over a piece of land, which was claimed by the former to be the birthplace of Hindu Lord Ram and thus entitled for construction of a Ram Temple.

The Babri Masjid built in 1528-29 CE that stood in the same site was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which caused massive riots across the country.

Presently, the case is pending before the Supreme Court and will be heard on March 14.

--ANI