Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, laid the foundation of Ram temple in Ayodhya on the ruins of Babri mosque.
Indian PM Narendra Modi attended the foundation laying ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya – Uttar Pradesh (UP), on the remains of Babri mosque which was demolished by Hindu mob back in 1992.
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According to local media reports, only 175 people attended the foundation laying ceremony of the temple including right-wing extremist Hindutva party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Chief Minister UP Yogi Adityanath and others.
The Ayodhya Temple/Babri mosque site has long been contested between Hindus and Muslims, with Hindus claiming that the site once hosted a temple which was once a Hindu temple and was demolished by Muslims who then constructed Babri Mosque on the site in 16th century.
Religious sentiments run high as Hindu also believe that Ayodhya is the birth place of Lord Ram.
Chandrakant Sompura – the chief architect of the proposed temple, has stated that the temple would be based on “Nagara” style of architecture and will have three floors, 366 pillars and five domes.
The development comes as Supreme Court of India back in November 2019, had announced its verdict allowing the construction of Ram temple on the ruins of Babri Mosque.
2019 Ayodhya Verdict by Indian Supreme Court
On November 9th 2019, Supreme Court of India, in a unanimous verdict allowed the construction of Ram temple on the remains of Babri Mosque. In its order, the court cited Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which argued that Babri Mosque was originally built on remains of a non-Islamic building and hence Hindus have a right to construct Ram temple on the disputed site.
The court then directed Indian government to allocate alternate land to Muslims for the construction of mosque.
