Ram Temple’s 500-Year-Old History: As the nation gears for the ‘pran prathistha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, here’s a look at the 500-year-old history of the Ram Mandir. The Ram Mandir’s inauguration ceremony in the temple town of Ayodhya will see the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
1529: Babri Mosque constructed by Mir Baqi, commander of the Mughal emperor, Babur.
1885: Court dispute over the mosque begins. The first suit was filed by Mahant Raghubir Das who sought to build a temple on the land adjoining the mosque. However, the Faizabad district magistrate did not grant permission.
1949: A Hindu priest named Abhiram Das claimed that he was having dreams of Ram appearing under the main dome of the Masjid. On the night of December 22, idols appeared inside the mosque, with the Hindu faithful believing that it was a divine intervention and started offering prayers. However, then Faizabad DM KK Nayar on the morning of December 23 informed then UP CM Govind Ballabh Pant about a group of Hindus entering the site and placing the idol.
An FIR was registered, and the city magistrate attached the property.
1950: Two suits are filed in Faizabad court seeking permission to conduct puja, which was granted. However, the court ordered the inner courtyard gates to remain locked.
1961: UP Sunni Wakf Board files suit seeking possession of the mosque site, and also demand the removal of Ram Lalla idols from Babri Masjid.
1984: VHP forms group to start Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. BJP stalwart LK Advani heads the movement.
1986: A district judge orders locks to be removed and allows puja and darshan of Ram Lalla.
1989: Then Prime Minister and late Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi allowed VHP to perform Shilanayas (laying of foundation stone) near the disputed area.
1990: LK Advani launched Rath Yatra from Gujarat’s Somnath to Ayodhya (UP). Following this communal riots broke out that left almost 2,000 dead.
1992: Babri Masjid demolished by a violent mob.
2003: ASI begins excavating land underneath disputed site under Allahabad High Court orders. It claimed that remnants of a 10th-century Hindu temple.
2019: Supreme Court constitutes five-judge Bench to hear case. The apex court ruled in favour of the Hindu side, paving way for the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site. The top court also directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque at a prominent place in Ayodhya.
2020: Union Cabinet approves setting up of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra trust to manage the construction of the temple.
2020: Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board accepted the five acres allotted to it by the state government for building a mosque in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya.
2020: Narendra Modi lays foundation stone by laying a 40-kg silver brick.
2024: Ram Mandir set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.