Ayodhya Ram Mandir: 1528 To 2023- A Glimpse Of The Chronology Of Events

Several significant events have marked the history of Ram Janmabhoomi, with November 9, 2019, being particularly noteworthy when a constitutional bench of five judges delivered a historic verdict.

Ayodhya Ram Mandir

Source : Getty

Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi is one of the most prolonged and contentious cases in the history of the country. The history of Ram Janmabhoomi is ancient, spanning 495 years from 1528 to 2023. Several significant events have marked the history of Ram Janmabhoomi, with November 9, 2019, being particularly noteworthy when a constitutional bench of five judges delivered a historic verdict.

Let's take a look at the timeline:

1528: The controversial construction of a mosque at the disputed site was ordered by Mughal Emperor Babur's commander Mir Baqi. The Hindu community claimed that this place was the birthplace of Lord Rama, and there was an ancient temple at this site. Hindus asserted that the spot beneath one of the domes of the mosque housed Lord Rama's birthplace.

1853-1949: Communal riots occurred around the site where the mosque was constructed in 1853. Subsequently, in 1859, the British administration erected a fence around the disputed area, allowing Muslims to worship inside the mosque and granting Hindus permission to worship near the courtyard.

1949: The actual dispute over Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi began on September 23, 1949, when idols of Lord Rama were found inside the mosque. Hindus claimed that Lord Rama had manifested himself there. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered the immediate removal of the idols, but the District Magistrate K.K. Nayar expressed his inability to implement the order due to the fear of hurting religious sentiments and inciting violence.

1950: Two petitions were filed in the Faizabad Civil Court—one seeking permission for the worship of Lord Rama on the disputed land and the other seeking permission to install idols.

1961: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board filed a petition, demanding possession of the disputed land and removal of idols.

1984: On February 1, 1986, based on a petition by Umesh Chandra Pandey, a Faizabad district judge, K.M. Pandey granted permission for Hindus to worship and ordered the removal of the locks from the structure.

1992: A historic event occurred on December 6, 1992, when thousands of activists, including those from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Shiv Sena, demolished the disputed structure. This led to nationwide communal riots and the loss of thousands of lives.

2002: The Godhra train burning incident, which targeted Hindu activists, resulted in riots in Gujarat, leading to the deaths of over 2,000 people.

2010: The Allahabad High Court divided the disputed land into three equal parts among the Sunni Waqf Board, Ram Lalla Virajman, and the Nirmohi Akhara.

2011: The Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad High Court's decision on the Ayodhya dispute.

2017: The Supreme Court called for an out-of-court settlement and charged several BJP leaders with criminal conspiracy.

2019: On March 8, 2019, the Supreme Court referred the case for mediation and ordered the conclusion of the proceedings within eight weeks. The mediation panel presented its report on August 2, 2019, without achieving a resolution. The Supreme Court then commenced daily hearings on the Ayodhya case, and after the completion of the hearing on August 16, 2019, the verdict was reserved. On November 9: A bench of five judges of the Supreme Court delivered a verdict in favor of the Ram Janmabhoomi, awarding 2.77 acres of the disputed land to the Hindu side and allocating an additional 5 acres separately for a mosque.

2020: On March 25, 2020, after 28 years, the idols of Ram Lalla were shifted from the tent to a fiber temple, and on August 5, the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the temple took place.

2023: Once again, the grand temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya has been prepared and is ready. On January 22, 2024, the consecration of the grand temple of Ram Lalla will take place, bringing an end to the dispute that has spanned decades, and the worship of Ram Lalla will be carried out in a ceremonious manner.