Giving a new dimension to the Ayodhya dispute, a London-based Buddhist researcher on Thursday claimed that the disputed site was 'Saketa', Lord Buddha's final resting place.

"We urge all right thinking people of India to put an end to this dispute. The only solution to the Ayodhya conflict is to apportion equal parts of the soil to Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus by building a vihara, masjid and temple on the disputed site as a symbol of national unity," Krishna B Gamre, director of Ambedkar Centenary Trust, said in a statement from London.

Gamre said he had undertaken some research on Ayodhya. He and Sir Alexander Cunningham, a respected authority on the subject, agree that the disputed site was Gautama Buddha's Saketa.

"The original site was demolished and desecrated by Muslim invaders," he said.

According to him, Chinese traveller and scholar Huang Tsang had also pointed out long before Cunningham that the disputed site was not the birthplace of Lord Ram, as claimed by �Hindu fundamentalists'.

Claiming that there is no need for judicial intervention and an archaeological survey, he said, "Arbitration by wise men from all three faiths can stave off a disaster that is imminent if the fanatics among Hindus and Muslims have their way."

PTI