RAM JANMABHOOMI

Ayodhya, also known as Oudh or Awadh, town, south-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies on the Ghaghara River, east of Faizabad. It was considered to be a sacred city of Hindus because of its association with Indian Epic “RAMAYANA” where the Rama (Avatar of God Vishnu) was born in 5114 B.C.

Chronology of Ayodhya holy site crisis

During the 11th and 12th centuries CE, the Kanauj kingdom arose in Ayodhya. The region was later included in the Delhi sultanate, the Jaunpur kingdom, and, in the 16th century, the Mughal Empire. 

Then Babri Masjid was built in 1528 C.E.(early 16th century) by Mughal emperor Babar's commander Mir Baqi on the site of traditionally noted as the birthplace of lord rama. 

It gained a measure of independence early in the 18th century but became subordinate to the British East India Company in 1764.

More than around 230 years after the construction of Babri Masjid, a Nirmohi of Hindu sect claimed that the Hindu temple was destroyed during Babur’s times to build a mosque in 1853. 

After six years, the British administration came up with a solution of dividing the site into 2 parts, where Muslims are allowed to pray inside the mosque and Hindus were allowed only on the outer court.                          

In 1949, a person named Gopal Singh Visharad filed a petition to worship the deity of Ram Janmabhoomi after Idols of Rama were found. 

Hashim Ansari( resident of Ayodhya) approached the court to remove the idols and allow it to remain a Masjid. 

In 1980s, a committee was formed to regain the birthplace of  Lord Ram, spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Party(VHP)

 In 1986, Ayodhya district judge ordered that the gates be opened for both Muslims and Hindus, for which Babri Mosque Action Committee raised a protest. But later the Rahul Gandhi government gave full freedom to all.

VHP laid the foundation of Ram temple and filed a case to shift the masjid elsewhere in 1989.

In 1990, the BJP president LK Advani organized many rallies including national Rath Yatra  in order to initiate the Ram temple construction. It was around 300 kilometres a day, and often Advani addressed 6 public rallies in a single day.

In December 1992, the mosque was razed to the ground and More than 2000 people died during this violence.

On February 26, 2016, Subramanian Swamy filed a plea in SC requesting the construction of Ram temple.

End of dispute

                                On November 9, 2019 , a five judge bench of the supreme court, headed by the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, ordered the disputed land (2.77acres) to be handed over to the trust to build the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. The court also ordered to give 5 acres on other locality to build Masjid.

 Arise of Ayodhya ram mandir 

                                   On August 5, 2020, the foundation stone for the construction of Ram Temple was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Architects have put the figure at roughly Rs 300 crore for the construction. Once work on the temple starts, this figure is expected to rise.