Ram mandir consecration: Why it took 500 years for Ayodhya to get its temple back

The consecration of the ‘Ram Lalla’ in Ayodhya on Monday has been celebrated by devotees in India as well as members of the Indian diaspora across the globe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a gathering of top saints, political leaders, industrialists, film stars, poets, litterateurs and sportspersons after the consecration of an idol of Ram Lalla in the Ram temple, said 22 January, 2024, is not merely a date but the advent of a new era.

अवधपुरी प्रभु आवत जानी।
भई सकल सोभा कै खानी॥ pic.twitter.com/KE8WMfPoyr

— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) January 20, 2024

But it’s been a long journey to get here. Let’s take a look at the brief history of the Ram temple: Babri Masjid built The foundations of the saga were laid in 1528, as per NDTV. This occurred when Mir Baqi, a deputy of the Mughal emperor Babur, built the Babri Masjid – over what was believed to be the ruins of a Hindu temple.

As per Indian Express, the dispute itself began in 1822.

At this time, Hafizullah, a court official told the Faizabad court that Babar had built a mosque on the birthplace of Lord Ram. The newspaper quoted the 2019 Supreme Court ruling on the Ayodhya suit as saying that 28 July, 1855, witnessed an encounter between Hindus and Muslims at Hanuman Garhi temple near the Babri Masjid. The Hindus that day also took Janmasthan – where Lord Ram is believed to have been born. Then, on 30 November 1858, one Mohammad Salim filed an FIR against the Nihang Sikhs. [caption id=“attachment_13643402” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Mughal emperor Babur. Image courtesy: Shutterstock[/caption] The Sikhs installed the Nishan Sahib inside the Babri Masjid and also conducted a ‘havan’ inside it. That very day, Muhammad Asghar, the official of the mosque, called for legal proceedings against someone who put up a platform in the courtyard. Asghar demanded that the platform be removed, as per the newspaper. As per NDTV, in 1885, Raghubar Das, a priest of the Nirmohi Akhara, then filed a lawsuit asking for a temple to be built in the outer courtyard. The British had, at the time, placed a railing to designate different areas of worship for the two faiths. “It is said that up to that time the Hindus and Muhammadans alike used to worship in the mosque-temple. Since British Rule, a railing has been put up to prevent the disputes, within which in the mosque the Muhammadans pray, while outside the fence the Hindus have raised a platform on which they make their offerings,” the 2019 verdict states as per Indian Express. Ram Lalla idols appear On the night of 22 December, 1949, the ‘Ram Lalla’ idols were allegedly placed inside the Babri Masjid by Abhiram Das. Ram devotees claimed the idols ‘magically appeared.’

Then, a  flood of legal suits followed.

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On the one hand, the Nirmohi Akhara demanded the opportunity to worship the idols and on the other the Sunni Central Waqf Board sought control of the site, as per NDTV. As per Indian Express, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ordered the state government to remove the idols. But then city magistrate Guru Dutt Singh did not allow the then chief minister Govind Ballabh Pant to do so. The then district magistrate KK Nair, blaming law and order issues, also refused to remove the idols. The municipal board then acquired the site and the idol remained inside. As per NDTV, in 1986, the then Rajiv Gandhi government opened the locks of the Babri Masjid – letting Hindus worship inside. [caption id=“attachment_12771782” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 opened the locks of the Babri Masjid.[/caption] This was a seismic event in the movement. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) then called for the construction of the Ram Mandir by 1990. BJP stalwart LK Advani also set off on his rath yatra, as per NDTV. By now, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement had kicked off in earnest. In 1992, the Babri Masjid was razed by Hindu activists. This caused riots to break out across India. Lok Sabha passes  Act, Allahabad HC hears arguments As per The Hindu, the Lok Sabha then passed Acquisition of Certain Area in Ayodhya Act. This allowed the Centre to obtain 67.7 acres of land including the disputed area. The Act stated that the acquisition was necessary to ‘set up a Ram temple, a mosque, amenities for pilgrims, a library, museum and other suitable facilities.’ The act was challenged by  Dr Ismail Faruqui but a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the acquisition was legal. The bench in its verdict said a mosque was not an ‘essential part of the practice of the religion of Islam’ and that namaz could be offered anywhere.

In 2002, the Allahabad High Court began hearing arguments over the title of the land.

It ordered a survey by the Archaeological Survey of India – which in 2003 claimed to have found fragments of a 10th Century Hindu temple. The Supreme Court then ordered that a status quo be maintained until the Allahabad High Court had rendered its verdict. [caption id=“attachment_13643422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Allahabad High Court divided the land in its 2011 verdict.[/caption] In 2010, the Allahabad High Court finally gave its judgment. The 2-1 ruling by Justices SU Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and DV Sharma held that both Hindus and Muslims were joint title holders of the disputed area. The court divided the 2.77 acre-property between the Hindu Mahasabha, the Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara. It also held that the central dome of the Babri Masjid is the ‘exact birthplace of Lord Ram’ and would be thus given to the Hindus. The Muslims were given a third of the area in the inner and outer courtyard, while the Nirmohi Akhara was given the Ram Chabutra, Bhandar and Sita Rasoi structures in the outer courtyard. Case reaches Supreme Court As per India TV, the battle finally reached the Supreme Court in 2011 after all three parties challenged the Allahabad High Court ruling. The apex court then stayed the Allahabad high court order. In 2019, the Supreme Court rendered its landmark verdict.

Led by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi, the court ruled that the It held that temple would be built on the land in Ayodhya.

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The apex court also ordered the government to give Muslim parties an alternative five-acre plot. [caption id=“attachment_13578152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Supreme Court delivered its landmark verdict in 2019. Reuters[/caption] On 5 August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple. Today, the consecration ceremony was held in Ayodhya. Modi today said said Lord Ram will no longer live in a tent but will now reside in a magnificent temple. “Today, our Ram has arrived. After a long wait for ages, our Ram has arrived,” The prime minister said he could still feel the divine vibrations he experienced during the consecration ceremony inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple. “Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will stay in a magnificent temple," Modi said.  People will remember this date, this moment even after thousands of years from now, he said. “It is Ram’s supreme blessings that we are witnessing it," Modi said. “I seek forgiveness from Lord Ram, there would have been some shortcomings in our penance that we could not complete this work for so long. That shortcoming has been overcome. I am confident Lord Ram would forgive us,” Modi concluded. With inputs from agencies