Ayodhya Ram Temple History - A Detailed View

Ayodhya Ram Mandir has a deep and long history, revolving around the religious and cultural sentiments of Hindus in India. Ayodhya Ram temple history has a timeline running over more than two centuries. Read this guide to know the detailed history of Ayodhya Ram Mandir as well as Ayodhya Ram Mandir current status.

Ayodhya Ram Temple History – The Timeline

Here is the brief timeline of Ayodhya Ram temple history that ended up changing the course of Indian politics over the last three decades.

Temple Demolished To Make Way For A Mosque

1528 – According to the finds mentioned in government gazettes, a mosque was constructed after razing a temple at Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya’s Ramkot, by Mughal ruler Babur’s general, Mir Baqi.
1751– Marathas appealed for control over Ayodhya, Kashi, and Mathura from the Nawab of Awadh.
1756– Marathas again requested Nawab Shuja -ud -dawla to transfer the three sites when they helped him against an Afghan invasion. Nawab switched sides, making the demand of the Marathas irrelevant.
1761– Later, as per the history of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Marathas lost the Third Battle of Panipat to Ahmed Shah Abdali.
1822– The Ayodhya dispute dates back to 1822. Hafizullah, a court official, submitted to Faizabad court that a mosque built by Babur on the birthplace of lord Ram stood in close proximity to Sita Rasoi in Ayodhya.

Hindu-Muslim Clash

1853– First time, religious violence occurred over the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The Britishers built a fence and made two sections of the site after six years. The outer court was designated for Hindus, and the Muslims were granted to pray within the mosque.
July 28, 1855– A Hindu-Muslim clash at Hanuman Garhi temple near the Babri masjid took place. The Hindus killed 70-75 Muslims by the end of the day. Shah Ghulam Hussein gathered a large Force to destroy the Hanuman Garhi, but the Hindus defended the Hanuman Garhi and also captured the Janmasthan from them on that blood-stained day.
1856– Mirza Jan, a writer, recorded an attack on the Ram Janmabhoomi by Amir Ali Amethawi in 1856, in Hadiga -I- Shuhuda. But the British troops killed the attacker.
30th November 1858- Mohammad Salim filed an FIR against the Nihang Sikhs who installed a nishan sahib for performing havan and writing Ram inside the Babri masjid. On the same day, the maudlin of Babri masjid, Muhammad Asghar, called for judicial proceedings against the bairagi who raised a platform in the courtyard.
1885– A request was submitted by Mahant Raghu Bir Das to the Faizabad district court, for the approval of constructing a Canopy on the Ram Chabutra. A raised platform outside the mosque. Historian Meenakshi Jain offered details about the case in her book Rama and Ayodhya. But the plea was denied due to delayed justice and potential law and order issues.

Ram Lalla Idols Found Inside Babri Masjid

1949– A petition was filed by one Gopal Singh Visharad in the Faizabad court to worship the deity. But, a resident of Ayodhya, Hashim Ansari approached the court saying the idol should be removed. The government locked the place but allowed the priests to perform daily Puja.

July– A petition was made to the UP Government that the temple should come up at the site which was further forwarded to the district administration of Faizabad for their comments and report.
August– Hindu Mahasabha passed a resolution for the liberation of Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya, Krishna Janmabhoomi at Mathura, and Vishwanath in Kashi.
October– In the history of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, a report was submitted by the city magistrate of Faizabad in October to the DM saying the land belongs to the government and people have faith in Ram Lalla and want a grand temple.
December 22, 1949– Abhiram Das placed an idol of Ram Lalla in the mosque. The supporters of Ram temple claimed that the idol appeared by itself and the constable, Abdul Barkat, on duty, said that he saw a light in the masjid and fainted after which a godlike child figure appeared.

Petition To Restore Masjid

1961– In the Ayodhya Ram temple history, a petitioner filed a suit pleading for restoration of the property to Muslims. The Sunni Central Waqf Board filed a suit in Faizabad civil court declaring Babri Mosque as the property of the board.

The Liberation Of Ram Janmabhoomi

1980– With the objective of “liberating” the birthplace of lord Ram and the construction of a temple in his honour, a committee was established by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Party.
1984- A meeting of the Dharma Sansad of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, saw the organisation announcing the launch of a movement for the liberation of Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhya, Krishna Janmabhoomi at Mathura, and Vishwanath shrine at Varanasi. Gulzarilal Nanda, former interim PM, supported Dharma sansad.
September 25 – October 6, 1984 – VHP started a Ram Janaki Yatra, from Sitamarhi in Bihar to Ayodhya, to create public awareness about the temple agitation.
1986 – Hari Shankar Dubey made a plea to the district court of Ayodhya. The Ayodhya court issued an order for the mosque to be opened for Hindus to offer prayers. In response, Muslims formed a Babri mosque action committee in protest.
VHP demanded the government to set up a trust for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, in a public meeting.
Hashim Ansari moved to the Allahabad High Court against the Faizabad district court’s order. The court said until further orders, the nature of the property shall not change.

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Babri Masjid Action Committee Was Formed in 1986

In February, the Babri masjid action committee was formed in Lucknow.
In December, Syed Shahabuddin led the All India Babri Masjid Conference and created the Babri Masjid Movement Coordination Committee (BMMCC).

Foundation Stone Of Ram Temple In 1989

VHP decided to lay the foundation stone of Ram temple at Ayodhya. VHP announced to performance of Shilanyas for Ram temple by consecrated bricks from all over the Country. The Congress government permitted it.
On November 9, 1989, the foundation-laying ceremony was held, and Kameshwar Chaupal, a Dalit, laid the first Ram Shila.

1990 – The Rath Yatra

LK Advani, president then, organised a National Rath Yatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya to express their support for the Ram temple agitation led by the VHP at that time. It included thousands of kar sevaks, or volunteers, affiliated with the Sangh Parivar.
On September 25, the yatra traversed many villagers and cities, covering an approximate distance of 300km every day.
On October 23, the prime minister VP Singh gave authorisation to the CM of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav to arrest LK Advani. He was then taken into preventive custody as his procession crossed the border between UP and BIHAR.

Communal Riots

1992- The karsevaks demolished the Babri mosque in the presence of the leaders of Shiv Sena, VHP, and BJP. This destruction led to communal riots all over the country, which resulted in the loss of approx. 2,000 lives during the violence.
1993- The parliament passed an act, which gave the government the authority to acquire 67.03 acres of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi – Babri masjid land. Also, asked the Supreme Court to look after if there was a pre-existing temple before the Babri masjid was built.

Godhra Train Fire And Gujarat Riots In 2002

The Sabarmati Express was carrying kar sevaks from Ayodhya to Gujarat. Coach no.S6 was burnt near the Godhra station. 58 people were burnt alive leading to the Gujarat riots which claimed more than 1,000 lives.

Historical Interpretation Of The Site

2003– The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) surveyed and reported the evidence of a significant Hindu complex beneath the mosque, the disputed site. However, the Muslim organisations disputed the findings, leading to ongoing disagreements regarding the historical interpretation of the site.
2010– The Allahabad High Court divided the disputed land into three parts: one-third to Ram Lalla, one-third to the Islamic waqf board, and the remaining third part to the Nirmohi Akhara. This decision was again challenged by both Hindu and Muslim litigants in the Supreme Court.
2011- The Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Lalla Virajman, and Sunni Waqf Board, all three parties appealed against the Allahabad High Court decision. The SC stayed the HC order of dividing the land into three parts.

Supreme Court Orders In 2019

On November 9, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court issued a decision to order the disputed land of 2.77 acres to a trust, established by the government of India, for the construction of Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
Supreme Court also ordered to give a land of 5 acres at the distance of 25 km from the disputed site for the construction of a mosque.
The Shree Ram Janmabhoomi teerth Kshetra trust was formed and comprises 15 members.

Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony In 2020

In the history of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on August 5, 2020, for the construction of the Ram temple.

Also Read – Origin And History Of Ram Navami – Celebration, Significance & More

Consecration Ceremony (Pran Pratistha) Of Ram Lalla In 2024

Finally, after all the disputes and struggles, the Shree Ram temple was built and the consecration ceremony was held by PM Narendra Modi on January 22, 2024.

Ayodhya Ram Mandir Current Status

The temple was successfully inaugurated by the PM of India, Narendra Modi and the pran pratishtha was also performed by him. Currently, the temple has been opened for people to go and perform the puja of Shre Ram Lalla.

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History Of Ayodhya Ram Mandir – A Few Final Words

The history of Ayodhya Ram mandir dispute is centuries old and has been causing issues in Indian politics for decades. The history of Ayodhya Ram mandir revolved around the ownership of the land where the Babri Masjid stood, stating that it was the birthplace of Lord Ram. After lots of fights and bloody days, in 2019, the Supreme Court finally settled the dispute and gave the land to the Hindus for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

The construction of the temple was done by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi teerth kshetra, formed by the Indian government to look after the construction of the temple. It is not just a temple, but a symbol of faith, unity, and cultural heritage, signifying the victory of truth, justice, and righteousness. It is the beacon of hope, and inspiration, reminding us of the power of faith, and the strength of the human spirit. Follow us to know Ayodhya Ram Mandir current status.

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