The battle for rights started 330 years after the construction of the mosque, the legal battle lasted for 134 years; know everything
Ramlala’s life is consecrated in Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya, the city of Lord Ram, on 22 January. With the inauguration of the temple, the Ram temple built in Ayodhya will emerge as a major center of faith for Hindus spread across the world including India. The grand Ram temple that is taking shape today is behind a decades-long legal battle. The journey of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been full of challenges. The construction of the temple started after the Babri dispute, a long battle in the courts and then the decision of the apex court. Now the wait of the countrymen for 22nd January is almost over.
Let us now take you into history. The story starts from 1526. This was the year when Mughal ruler Babar came to India. Two years later, Babar’s Subedar Mirbaki built a mosque in Ayodhya. This mosque was built at the same place where Lord Ram was born. In honor of Babar, Mir Baqi named this mosque Babri Masjid. This was the period when Mughal rule was spreading across the country. During the rule of the Mughals and Nawabs from 1528 to 1853, Hindus were not able to be very vocal in this matter. In the 19th century, the rule of the Mughals and Nawabs started weakening. The British rule had become effective. It was during this period that Hindus raised this issue and said that the temple, the birthplace of Lord Ram, was demolished and a mosque was built. After this the fight to get back the birthplace of Ramlala started.
- 1858: First FIR filed 330 years after the construction of Babri Masjid.
330 years after the construction of Mir Baki Masjid, the fight became legal in 1858, when for the first time an FIR was filed for performing Havan and puja in the premises. According to the book Ayodhya Revisited, on December 1, 1858, Awadh Police Station Officer Sheetal Dubey reported in his report that a platform had been built in the complex. This is the first legal document which has evidence of the presence of Ram icon inside the complex. After this, a wire fence was erected and Muslims and Hindus were allowed to worship and pray separately in the inner and outer premises of the disputed land. - 1885: When the matter of a permanent house for Ram reached the court,
27 years after the incident of 1858, the fight for Ram Janmabhoomi reached the court. When, Mahant Raghubar Das of Nirmohi Akhara filed a civil suit in the Faizabad court regarding ownership. Das demanded that the temporary temple built on the Ram platform located in the outer courtyard of the Babri structure be made concrete and roofed. The judge ruled that Hindus have the right to worship there, but they cannot allow the temple to be made concrete and roofed against the decision of the District Magistrate. - 1949: Disclosure of statues
While on the one hand the campaign to gain independence by running a movement against the British continued across the country, on the other hand the fight for Ram Janmabhoomi also continued. The statues were revealed under the dome within the structure on 22 December 1949, two years after the country gained independence. - 1950: The first case after independence
The first case after independence was filed by Hindu Mahasabha member Gopal Singh Visharad on January 16, 1950 in the court of Civil Judge, Faizabad. Visharad demanded the worship of the idols of God located beneath the main dome of the structure. About 11 months later, on December 5, 1950, Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans filed a case before the Civil Judge making a similar demand. In the lawsuit, a demand was made to stop the other party from obstructing the worship at the concerned site.On March 3, 1951, in the Gopal Singh Visharad case, the court instructed the Muslim side not to obstruct the worship. A similar order was also given in the case filed by Paramahamsa.
- 1959: Nirmohi Akhara sought permission for worship.
On December 17, 1959, six persons of Nirmohi Akhara filed a case on behalf of Ramanand sect and staked their claim on this place. Also demanded that receiver Priyadutt Ram should be removed and he should be allowed to worship. This is their right. Another case in the series of cases was filed on 18 December 1961. This case was filed by the Central Sunni Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh. Said that this place belongs to Muslims. The structure should be given from Hindus to Muslims. The statues should be removed from inside the structure. These cases continued in the court. Before talking about the decisions, let us move towards some more movements for the cause of Ram. - 1982: The campaign for the liberation of Hindu religious places
is from 1982. This was the year when Vishwa Hindu Parishad termed the construction of mosques at the sites of Ram, Krishna and Shiva as a conspiracy and announced a campaign for their liberation. Two years later, on 8 April 1984, saints, mahatmas and Hindu leaders in Delhi decided to launch a movement for the liberation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi site of Ayodhya and opening the lock. - 1986: Lock of the premises opened
Since we have talked about lawsuits, let us again move towards legal battles and talk about decisions. A decision came on 1 February 1986 when Faizabad District Judge KM Pandey ordered the opening of the lock of the site on the application of local advocate Umesh Pandey. The appeal filed against the decision in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court was rejected. - 1989: Foundation stone of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi was laid
during the Kumbh Mela in Prayag in January 1989. It was decided to conduct Shila Puja from village to village for the construction of the temple. Also, on 9 November 1989, the foundation stone of the temple was announced at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi site. After much controversy and tussle, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave permission to lay the foundation stone. The foundation stone was laid by Bihar resident Kameshwar Chaupal. - 1990: Advani started Rath Yatra, gave edge to the movement. The
movement was gaining momentum in the 1990s. Meanwhile, in September 1990, Lal Krishna Advani came out with Rath Yatra. This journey gave further impetus to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The politics of the country was changing rapidly. Advani was arrested. Along with the arrest there was also a change of power at the Centre. The Janata Dal government formed with the support of BJP fell. Chandrashekhar became Prime Minister with the support of Congress. This government also did not last long. Fresh elections were held and Congress once again came to power at the Centre. Amidst all this, there was a historical date without mentioning which this story cannot be complete. - 1992: The disputed structure was demolished, the Kalyan government was dismissed
. The date was 6 December 1992, on this day thousands of Karsevaks who reached Ayodhya demolished the disputed structure. Instead, a temporary temple was built in the evening of the same day and worship started. The then PV Narasimha Rao government at the Center also dismissed the BJP governments of other states including the Kalyan Singh government of the state. Communal violence took place at many places in the country including Uttar Pradesh, in which many people died. A case has been registered against thousands of people including many BJP leaders in the structure demolition case at Ayodhya Shri Ram Janmabhoomi police station. With this, the number of cases in Ram Kaj’s legal battle started increasing further. - 1993: Permission for darshan and worship was granted.
Curfew was imposed in Ayodhya on 8 December 1992, two days after the demolition of Babri. Advocate Harishankar Jain pleaded in the Lucknow bench of the High Court that God is hungry. Ram Bhog should be allowed. About 25 days later, on January 1, 1993, Judge Harinath Tilhari gave permission for darshan and worship. On January 7, 1993, the Central Government acquired a total of 67 acres of land here, including the site of the structure and the land given to the Trust by the Kalyan Singh Government. - 2002: Hearing on ownership started in the High Court.
In April 2002, the Lucknow bench of the High Court started the hearing to decide the ownership of the disputed site. On 5 March 2003, the High Court directed the Archaeological Survey of India to carry out excavations at the site. On 22 August 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India submitted the report to the court. It was said that there was a huge Hindu religious structure (temple) underground at the concerned site. - 2010: Allahabad High Court gave a historic decision.
On September 30, 2010, Allahabad High Court ordered to divide this site equally among the three parties Shri Ram Lala Virajman, Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Central Waqf Board. The judges considered the place under the central dome where the statues were, to be the birthplace. After this the matter reached the Supreme Court. On March 21, 2017, the Supreme Court offered to resolve the matter through mediation. He also said that if both the parties agree then he is also ready for it. - 2017: Supreme Court offers mediation.
The battle of Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya had now reached the highest court of the country. On March 21, 2017, the Supreme Court offered to resolve the matter through mediation. He also said that if both the parties agree then he is also ready for it. - 2019: Supreme decision and the way for temple construction cleared.
On 6 August 2019, the Supreme Court started daily hearing. The hearing was completed in the Supreme Court on 16 October 2019 and the court reserved the decision. Before this, hearing was held in the Supreme Court continuously for 40 days.On November 9, 2019, it was time for the final decision in the war that had been going on for 134 years. On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court considered the concerned site as Shri Ram Janmabhoomi and considered 2.77 acres of land as the ownership of Ramlala. At the same time, the claims of Nirmohi Akhara and Sunni Waqf Board were rejected. Along with this, the court directed that the Central Government should form a trust within three months for the construction of the temple and the trust should include a representative of Nirmohi Akhara. Apart from this, it was also ordered that the Government of Uttar Pradesh should alternatively provide 5 acres of land to the Muslim side at a suitable place for building a mosque.
- 2020: Construction begins with the foundation stone of the temple in Ayodhya.
With this, the decades-long legal battle ended. Now it was the turn of construction. On 5 February 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. Exactly six months later, on 5 August 2020, the foundation stone of the Ram temple was laid in Ayodhya, in which PM Modi participated. - 2024: Ramlala’s life is consecrated in the grand temple.
After 134 years of legal battle, now a grand Ram temple is being constructed in Ayodhya. The work of the first phase of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi has been completed. 22 January 2024 is the historical date when Lord Ram will be consecrated in the temple. The temple will be open to the general public from January 23.
