The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute in Ayodhya, India, has a long and complex history dating back to the 16th century. The dispute revolves around a 2.77-acre plot of land, where the Babri Masjid mosque was built in 1528, allegedly on the site of a Hindu temple marking the birthplace of Lord Rama.
The dispute gained momentum in the 1980s, with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu organizations launching a campaign to reclaim the site. In 1992, a large crowd of Hindu activists, known as kar sevaks, demolished the Babri Masjid mosque, leading to widespread violence and communal riots across India.
The Indian government, led by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, imposed President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh and filed a case against the leaders of the VHP and other Hindu organizations. The Liberhan Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry, established in 1992, found that the demolition of the mosque was a pre-planned act, but the report was not made public until 2009.
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the disputed site should be divided into three parts, with the major portion going to the Hindu parties. However, the Supreme Court of India stayed the High Court's order and began hearing the case in 2017.
In 2019, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment, ruling that the disputed site belonged to the Hindu parties and that a temple should be built there. The court also ordered the government to provide an alternative 5-acre plot of land to the Muslim parties.
The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, established by the Indian government, is responsible for building the Ram temple, which is expected to be completed by 2024. The trust has 15 members, including one representative from the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu organization that was a party to the dispute.
The Ayodhya dispute has been a major point of contention between Hindus and Muslims in India, and the Supreme Court's judgment has been seen as a significant development in the country's history.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. In 1528, Babur ordered his commander Mir Baqi to construct a mosque in Ayodhya on a 2.77-acre plot of land.
2. Before the mosque was built, a Ram Temple was destroyed, and the local people were angry about it.
3. In 1857, the British government divided the disputed land between Hindus and Muslims, building a 6-7 feet tall wall to separate the two areas.
4. In 1885, the priest of Ram Chabutra, Mahant Raghuvar Das, was denied permission to construct a temple on the disputed land.
5. In 1949, the idol of Ram Lalla was placed inside the mosque, leading to a complaint by the Sunni Central Waqf Board.
6. In 1950, the government locked the inner portion of the mosque, and only priests were allowed to pray to Ram Lalla in the outer portion.
7. In 1959, Nirmohi Akhara filed a separate case in court, which was later merged with other cases related to the disputed land.
8. In 1984, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) started a campaign to construct a Ram Temple, and the issue gained national attention.
9. In 1989, the VHP laid the foundation stone for the temple, and the event was attended by the Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
10. In 1990, the BJP's Rath Yatra, led by Lal Krishna Advani, was stopped in Bihar, but Karsevaks continued to march towards Ayodhya.
11. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Mosque was demolished by a mob of Karsevaks, leading to widespread riots and violence.
12. In 1993, the central government passed the Ayodhya Act, which took over the disputed land and surrounding areas.
13. In 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a survey of the disputed land and found evidence of a non-Islamic structure beneath the mosque.
14. In 2010, the High Court divided the disputed land into three parts, giving the central area to God Ram, the Ram platform and Sita kitchen to Nirmohi Akhara, and the remaining part to the Sunni Waqf Board.
15. In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the entire 2.77 acres of disputed land would be given to God Ram, and 5 acres of land would be given to the Sunni Waqf Board.
16. The Supreme Court also established a trust, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, to manage the construction of the Ram Temple.
17. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ram Temple, and the construction is expected to be completed by December 2024.