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129-471: The Ram Mandir ( ISO : Rāma Maṁdira , lit.   ' Rama Temple ' ) is a partially constructed Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya , Uttar Pradesh , India. Many Hindus believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi , the mythical birthplace of Rama , a principal deity of Hinduism . The temple was inaugurated on 22 January 2024 after a prana pratishtha (consecration) ceremony. On

258-406: A Jīva ( lit.   ' a living being ' ) cross the ocean of samsara . Devotees of Rama such as Valmiki , Tulsidas , Bhadrachala Ramadasu , Samartha Ramadas , Tyagaraja , Purandara Dasa , Gondavalekar Maharaj and Mahatma Gandhi popularised this mantra. Ram Mandir is being built to commemorate the birth of Rama at his Janmasthan . Therefore, the presiding deity of the temple

387-478: A chabutra (platform) was erected in the courtyard of the Babri Masjid at the supposed site of Rama's birthplace. As a consequence of this dispute was a court case in 1885 requesting the construction of a temple to enclose the chabutra, considered to mark the birthplace of Rama, in the courtyard of the Babri Masjid, which was rejected by citing that Hindu side doesn't enjoy proprietary rights. This decision

516-515: A Shiva temple. In the words of ASI researchers, they discovered "distinctive features associated with... temples of north India". Excavations further yielded: stone and decorated bricks as well as mutilated sculpture of a divine couple and carved architectural features, including foliage patterns, amalaka , kapota-pali ["dove-house" crown-work], doorjamb with semi-circular shrine pilaster, broken octagonal shaft of black schist pillar, lotus motif, circular shrine having pranala (water chute ) in

645-544: A title suit with the Allahabad High Court seeking injunction to offer 'puja' (worship) at the disputed site. A similar suit was filed shortly after but later withdrawn by Paramhans Das of Ayodhya. In 1959, the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu religious institution, filed a third title suit seeking direction to hand over the charge of the disputed site, claiming to be its custodian. A fourth suit was filed by

774-625: A " rath yatra " (pilgrimage procession) to Ayodhya to generate support for the movement. Advani later stated in his memoirs, "If Muslims are entitled to an Islamic atmosphere in Mecca , and if Christians are entitled to a Christian atmosphere in the Vatican , why is it wrong for the Hindus to expect a Hindu atmosphere in Ayodhya?" The yatra resulted in communal riots in many cities in its wake, prompting

903-616: A "juristic person" by the law. He was represented by Triloki Nath Pandey, a senior VHP leader who was considered Ram Lalla' s closest 'human' friend. As a new idol of the deity got installed in the sanctum sanctorum as the Mūlavirāt mūrti (lit. The main presiding deity), the Mandir Trust has informed that the Ram Lalla Virajman idol of 1949 shall henceforth be used as Utsava mūrti (lit. idol for festivals). The site

1032-399: A "pilgrimage manual" of Ayodhya, traced the growth of the sect in the second millennium CE. The original recension of the text, dated to the period between 11th and 14th centuries, mentions the janmasthana (birthplace) as a pilgrimage site. A later recension adds many more places in Ayodhya and the entire fortified town, labelled Ramadurga ("Rama's fort"), as pilgrimage sites. Babur

1161-534: A book Sahifa-I-Chihil Nasaih Bahadur Shahi , said to have been written by a daughter of the emperor Bahadur Shah I (1643–1712) and granddaughter of emperor Aurangzeb , in the early 18th century. It mentioned mosques having been constructed after demolishing the "temples of the idolatrous Hindus situated at Mathura , Banaras and Awadh etc." Hindus are said to have called these demolished temples in Awadh " Sita Rasoi " (Sita's kitchen) and "Hanuman's abode". While there

1290-562: A formal invitation was extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremony. In 2020, the national spokesperson of the Nirmohi Akhara , Mahant Sitaram Das, criticised the BJP's decision to have the temple foundation begun by Narendra Modi and said that the work of building the temple should be done only by the religious priests. A number of Hindutva proponents, including online social media influencers, raised objections over

1419-761: A human. As Rama is said to have possessed sixteen ideal qualities, Hindus view Rama as Puruṣottama ( lit.   ' The ideal man ' ), Vigrahavān dharmaḥ ( lit.   ' Embodiment of Dharma ' ) and Ādi Puruṣa . According to the Hindu epic Ramayana , Rama was born in Ayodhya . Ayodhya is among seven most sacred cities to Hindus. Three places in Ayodhya are considered as prominent puṇya kṣētra ( lit.   ' virtued pilgrimage site ' ) by Hindus. They are Janmasthāna ( lit.   ' The birthplace ' ), Svargadvāra ( lit.   ' The gateway to Heaven ' ) and Yajñasthala ( lit.   ' Place where holy sacrifice

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1548-472: A mosque to replace the Babri Masjid that was demolished in 1992. On 22 January 2024, the Ram Mandir was officially opened. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led its consecration, claiming it to be the start of a new era. The temple is expected to be fully completed by December 2024. The land on which the medieval mosque, Babri Masjid , stood has come to be regarded by Hindus to be the birthplace of

1677-467: A mosque was located at the supposed birth spot of Rama, which sat on a large mound in the centre of Ayodhya, called the Ramadurg or Ramkot (the fort of Rama). The mosque bore an inscription stating that it was built in 1528 by Mir Baqi on the orders of Babur . According to an early 20th century text by Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar and the surrounding historical sources examined by historian Harsh Narain,

1806-478: A number of people culpable in the demolition, including BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee , Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi , then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh , Pramod Mahajan , Uma Bharti and Vijayaraje Scindia , as well as VHP leaders like Giriraj Kishore and Ashok Singhal . Other prominent political leaders indicted by the commission include late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and former RSS leader K. N. Govindacharya . Relying on

1935-540: A plan to construct the temple. Two days later, on 7 February, 2.0 hectares (5 acres) of land was allocated for a new mosque to be built 22 km (14 mi) away from Ayodhya City in Dhannipur village, Ayodhya . The original design for Ram Mandir was devised in 1988 by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad . The Sompuras have contributed to the design of over 100 temples worldwide for at least 15 generations, including

2064-433: A ritually auspicious date and that the ceremony did not follow proper ritual procedures. They also claimed that the function did not include a havan . Writer and activist Arundhati Roy , a noted critic of PM Modi, pointed out that the chosen date marked one year since the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir . The Pakistan Foreign Office issued a statement criticising India for commencing for constructing

2193-649: A series of religious events that spanned 826 local bodies across Uttar Pradesh along with the Ram Paduka Yatra, commencing in December 2023 and culminating in the grand celebrations from Makar Sankranti on 16 January 2024, and lasting until the inauguration of the Ram Mandir on 22 January. The yatra followed the Ram Van Gaman Path, retracing Rama's 14-year exile from Ayodhya . The trust,

2322-403: A small Muslim population, though there are substantial numbers of Muslims 7 km away at District Headquarters – Faizabad. Since 1949, by Indian Government order, Muslims were not permitted to be closer than 200 yards (180 m) away to the site; the main gate remained locked, though Hindu pilgrims were allowed to enter through a side door. The 1986 Allahabad High Court ordered the opening of

2451-544: A structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that was found to be non- Islamic . On 5 August 2020, the bhūmi pūjana ( transl.  ground breaking ceremony ) for the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir was performed by Narendra Modi , Prime Minister of India . The temple complex, currently under construction, is being supervised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On 22 January 2024, Modi served as

2580-454: A symbol of righteousness and unity. While Yogi Adityanath's address was steeped in religious fervor, celebrating the Ram Mandir as a victory for faith and perseverance. He praised the devotion of millions who contributed to the temple's construction and acknowledged the divine blessings that guided the process. Mohan Bhagwat spoke of the Ram Mandir as a symbol of national pride, marking the revival of India's cultural heritage. He emphasised

2709-552: A temple at the supposed birth spot of Rama built by the Gahadavalas. In subsequent years, the cult of Rama developed within Vaishnavism, with Rama being regarded as the foremost avatar of Vishnu. Consequently, Ayodhya's importance as a pilgrimage centre grew. In particular, multiple versions of Ayodhya Mahatmya (magical powers of Ayodhya) prescribed the celebration of Ram Navami (the birthday of Rama). In modern times,

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2838-448: A temple dedicated to the infant Rama ( Ram Lalla ) at this spot. The VHP began to collect funds and bricks with " Jai Shri Ram " written on them. Later, the government under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave the VHP permission for Shilanyas ( transl.  the foundation stone ceremony ) to proceed, with the then Home Minister , Buta Singh , formally conveying the permission to

2967-560: A temple on the former site of the destroyed Babri Masjid. In 2017, the Hindu Mahasabha accused the BJP, Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar organisations of hijacking the Ram Mandir despite having no involvement in its long battle. In 2020, Pramod Joshi, the national spokesperson of the Hindu Mahasabha, said that the real credit of Ram Mandir belongs to Hindu Mahasabha, and that the Hindu Mahasabha should have performed

3096-461: A three-domed structure resembling the mosque, which is however labelled the "birthplace" ( chhathi ). In the courtyard can be seen a platform ( chabutra ) to which Hindu devotees are shown circumambulating and worshipping. All these details were corroborated by the Jesuit priest Joseph Tieffenthaler half a century later. Tieffenthaler also said that "The reason for this is that once upon a time, here

3225-567: Is in pursuance of this pledge that he got the Babri mosque constructed after conquering Hindustan. The original book was written in Persian by Maulvi Abdul Karim, a spiritual descendant of Musa Ashiqan, and it was translated into Urdu by Abdul Ghaffar, his grandson, with additional commentary. The older editions of Abdul Ghaffar's book contain more detail, which seems to have been excised in the 1981 edition. Lala Sita Ram of Ayodhya, who had access to

3354-455: Is no standard keyboard layout for ISO 15919 input but many systems provide a way to select Unicode characters visually. ISO/IEC 14755 refers to this as a screen-selection entry method . Ayodhya dispute The Ayodhya dispute is a political, historical, and socio-religious debate in India, centred on a plot of land in the city of Ayodhya , Uttar Pradesh . The issues revolve around

3483-612: Is regarded as identical to Vishnu. He also built a temple to Rama at Pravarapura (Paunar near Ramtek ) in about 450 CE. After the Guptas, the capital of North India moved to Kannauj and Ayodhya fell into relative neglect. It was revived by the Gahadavalas , coming to power in the 11th century. The Gahadavalas were Vaishnavas . They built several Vishnu temples in Ayodhya, five of which survived till Aurangzeb 's reign. Indologist Hans T. Bakker concludes that there might have been

3612-423: Is supposed to be the infant form of Rama , an avatar of Vishnu . Rama in that infant form was referred as Ram Lalla ( lit.   ' Child Rama ' ) by Tulsidas . However, the idol of Rama that was placed in 1949 referred to as Ram Lalla Virajman ( lit.   ' Installed Child Rama ' ) by local Hindus. Ram Lalla was a litigant in the court case over the disputed site in 1989, being considered

3741-592: Is the former location of the Babri Masjid , which was built in the 16th century. The mosque was attacked and demolished in 1992 . In 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered the verdict to give the disputed land to Hindus for the construction of a temple, while Muslims would be given land elsewhere to construct a mosque . In 1528, the commander of the Mughal Empire , Mir Baqi , constructed

3870-563: The Ain-i-Akbari , nor his contemporary Hindu poet-saint Tulsidas ' epic poem Ramcharitmanas , dedicated to the Hindu god Rama . Both the Hindus and Muslims are said to have worshipped at the "mosque-temple", Muslims inside the mosque and Hindus outside the mosque but inside the compound. In 1857 a British administrator had a railing erected between the two areas to prevent disputes. In 1949, after India's independence, an idol of Ram

3999-637: The Babri Masjid mosque, under the order of Babur, on the site of the Ram Janmabhoomi , the mythical birthplace of Rama. The earliest record of the mosque may be traced back to 1767, in the Latin book Descriptio Indiae , authored by the Jesuit missionary Joseph Tiefenthaler . According to him, the local population believed that the mosque was constructed by destroying the Ramkot temple, believed to be

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4128-633: The Hanuman Garhi Temple in Ayodhya. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath , Chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh , Mohan Bhagwat , Chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and Chief of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra , Nritya Gopal Das and Narendra Modi gave speeches. Some priests and religious leaders, such as Swaroopanand Saraswati , complained that 5 August was not

4257-560: The Mukhya Yajamāna ( transl.  chief patron ) of rituals for the event and performed the prāṇa pratiṣṭhā ( transl.  consecration ) of the temple. The prana pratishtha ceremony was organised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The temple has also attracted a number of controversies due to alleged misuse of donation, sidelining of its major activists, and politicisation of

4386-489: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, 70% of the groundwork was completed and 40% of the roof work was completed. In December 2023, the entire base, along with the six smaller temples that surround the main temple, which consists of the sanctum sanctorum, were almost completed. For its consecration, only the ground floor was opened. The temple is expected to be completed by July 2025. On 22 June 2023, Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Misra announced that

4515-659: The Somnath temple . The chief architect of the temple was Chandrakant Sompura, assisted by his two sons, Nikhil Sompura and Ashish Sompura, who are also architects. A new design, with some changes from the original, was prepared by the Sompuras in 2020, per the Hindu texts, the Vastu shastra and the Shilpa shastras . The temple will be 250 feet (76 m) wide, 380 feet (120 m) long and 161 feet (49 m) high. Upon completion,

4644-801: The Triveni Sangam of the rivers Ganga , Yamuna , and Saraswati at Prayagraj , the head of the Kaveri river at Talakaveri in Karnataka , and the Kamakhya Temple in Assam . Soil was also sent from various Hindu temples , gurudwaras and Jain temples across the nation, as well as from the four pilgrimage sites in Char Dham , to bless the temple. Before the ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought Hanuman 's blessing by praying at

4773-632: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board for declaration and possession of the site. The Allahabad high court bench, comprising justices S. U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D. V. Sharma, began hearing the case in April 2002, which it would complete by 2010. In 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India began a court-ordered survey to determine if a temple to Lord Rama existed on the site; the survey said there

4902-407: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board , and the remaining third going to Nirmohi Akhara , a Hindu religious denomination . While the three-judge bench found no evidence that the mosque was constructed after demolition of a temple, it did agree that a temple structure predated the mosque at the same site. The Archaeological Survey of India had conducted an excavation of the disputed site on

5031-599: The death of an estimated 2,000 people in Bombay (now Mumbai ) as a direct consequence, and triggering riots all over the Indian subcontinent . A day after the demolition of the mosque, on 7 December 1992, The New York Times reported that over 30 Hindu temples across Pakistan were attacked, some set on fire, and one was demolished. Hindu temples in Bangladesh were also attacked. On 5 July 2005, five terrorists attacked

5160-621: The riots following the demolition. Riots broke out in many major Indian cities including Mumbai , Bhopal , Delhi and Hyderabad . On 16 December 1992, the Liberhan Commission was set up by the Government of India to probe the circumstances that led to the demolition of the Babri Mosque. It was the longest running commission in India's history with several extensions granted by various governments. The report found

5289-591: The sanctum sanctorum was constructed there. The VHP then laid the foundations of a temple on the land adjacent to the disputed mosque. On 6 December 1992, the VHP and the Bharatiya Janata Party organised a rally at the site involving 150,000 volunteers, known as karsevaks. The rally turned violent, the crowd overwhelmed the security forces and tore down the mosque . The demolition of the mosque resulted in several months of inter-communal violence between India's Hindu and Muslim communities, causing

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5418-401: The transliteration of Sanskrit rather than the transcription of Brahmic scripts. As a notable difference, both international standards, ISO 15919 and UNRSGN transliterate anusvara as ṁ , while ALA-LC and IAST use ṃ for it. However, ISO 15919 provides guidance towards disambiguating between various anusvara situations (such as labial versus dental nasalizations), which is described in

5547-403: The " Bedi , i.e., the cradle", and "The reason for this is that once upon a time, here was a house where Beschan [Vishnu] was born in the form of Ram." He recorded that Rama's birthday was celebrated every year, with a big gathering of people, which was "so famous in the entire India". The first recorded instances of religious violence in Ayodhya occurred in the 1855. Certain "Sunnis claimed that

5676-491: The "great birthday festival" in Ayodhya but made no mention of a mosque at Rama's birthplace. Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak (1551–1602), who wrote Akbarnama , completing the third volume Ain-i Akbari in 1598, described the birthday festival in Ayodhya, the "residence of Rama" and the "holiest place of antiquity", but made no mention of a mosque. William Finch , the English traveller who visited Ayodhya around 1611, and wrote about

5805-470: The "ruins of the Ranichand [Ramachand] castle and houses" where Hindus believed the great God "took flesh upon him to see the tamasha of the world." He found pandas (Brahmin priests) in the ruins of the fort, who were recording the names of the pilgrims, a practice that was said to go back to antiquity. Again there was no mention of a mosque in his account. The first known report of a mosque appears in

5934-636: The 'Vijay Mahamantra' – Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram , on 6 April 2020. This was said to ensure "victory over hurdles" in constructing the temple. It was officially announced by Champat Rai , the General Secretary of the Sri Ram Janmbhoomi Kshetra Trust, that 22 January 2024 would be the scheduled date for the installation of the Ram Lalla idol in the garbhagriha ( sanctum sanctorum ). On 25 October 2023,

6063-547: The 1990 Ayodhya firing incident . A subsequent land title case was lodged in the Allahabad High Court , the verdict of which was pronounced on 30 September 2010. In the judgment, the three judges of the Allahabad High Court ruled that the Ayodhya land be divided into three parts, with one third going to the Ram Lalla or Infant Rama represented by the Vishva Hindu Parishad , one third going to

6192-477: The 70-acre (28 ha) area as green space, emphasising water conservation. The temple has a total of 366 columns. The columns have 16 idols each to include the incarnations of Shiva , the 10 Dashavataras , the Chausath Yoginis , and the 12 incarnations of the goddess Saraswati . The width of the stairs are 16 feet (4.9 m). Per scriptures dedicated to the design of temples dedicated to Vishnu ,

6321-576: The ABRM filed civil suits in a local court staking their respective claims to the site. Christophe Jaffrelot has called the Gorakhnath wing of Hindu nationalism 'the other saffron', which has maintained its existence separately from the mainstream Hindu nationalism of the Sangh Parivar . After the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was formed in 1964 and started agitating for the Babri Masjid site,

6450-449: The ASI claimed to have found evidence indicating that a temple existed on the site. The claims were heavily disputed by critics as contradictory and unreliable. Archaeologist K. K. Muhammed maintained that remains of a Hindu temple were found in 1978, and accused several historians of averting a settlement for the dispute. Over the years, various title and legal disputes took place, such as

6579-404: The Ayodhya dispute. In 2003, by the order of an Indian High Court, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was asked to conduct a more in-depth study and an excavation to ascertain whether the type of structure that was beneath the rubble indicated definite proof of a temple under the mosque. However, it could not be ascertained if it was a Rama temple, as the remnants had more resemblance to

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6708-576: The BJP "got the entire thing politicised." A number of opposition parties, as well as BJP members themselves, have criticised the BJP for using the temple to for gain political mileage. The President of the Congress , Mallikarjun Kharge , had questioned the authority of Home Minister Amit Shah , after he declared the opening date of the temple. The BJP leader Subramanian Swamy questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's involvement in Ram Mandir's inauguration. The Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised

6837-557: The BJP won a majority in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly increased its share of seats in the Lok Sabha . On 6 December 1992, the VHP and its associates, including the BJP, organised a rally involving 150,000 VHP and BJP kar sevaks at the site of the mosque. The ceremonies included speeches by the BJP leaders such as Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti . The mob grew restive through

6966-492: The Babri Masjid on the night of 22–23 December 1949 and the devotees began to gather the next day. By 1950, the state took control of the mosque under Section 145 CrPC and allowed Hindus, not Muslims, to perform their worship at the site. In the 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), belonging to the Hindu nationalist family, Sangh Parivar , launched a new movement to reclaim the site for Hindus and to erect

7095-516: The Bairagis of Hanumangarhi had destroyed a mosque that existed atop it. The Muslims charged on the Hanumangarhi but were repelled and routed. They hid inside the mosque of Babur that lay at a distance of less than a kilometre from Hanumangarhi." The Babri mosque was attacked by Hindus in the process. Since then, local Hindu groups made occasional demands that they should have the possession of

7224-458: The Faizabad court submitted a report to the court in 1822 in which he claimed, "The mosque founded by emperor Babur is situated at the birth-place of Ram." In 1855 local Muslims became convinced that the nearby Hanuman Garhi Temple was built over the site of a former mosque, and became resolved to demolish the temple, resulting in violent clashes leading to the deaths of many Muslims. In 1857,

7353-447: The Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Ayodhya city administrators carried out extensive preparations to accommodate the influx of devotees and invited guests from all over the world. Strict security measures were enacted in and around the temple premises. The Government of Uttar Pradesh announced public holiday to mark the occasion. The Government of India and some state governments declared a half day holiday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi

7482-611: The Hindu deity, Rama , and is at the core of the Ayodhya dispute. Rama is one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities and is considered the seventh incarnation of god Vishnu . According to the Ramayana , Rama was a prince born in the Ikshvaku dynasty's capital city Ayodhya (which may not be the same as modern Ayodhya ) to parents Kaushalya and Dasharatha in the Treta Yuga . The Ayodhya Mahatmya , described as

7611-570: The Hindu temple. It also ordered the government to give an alternate 2.0 hectares (5 acres) tract of land to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board to build the mosque . On 5 February 2020, the Government of India made an announcement for a trust named as Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra to reconstruct a Ram temple there. It also allocated an alternative site in Dhannipur , Ayodhya to build

7740-549: The Indian media for diverting attention from critical governance issues by overly focusing on the temple. On the occasion of Bhumi Pujan, the Ram Lalla's dress was stitched by tailors Bhagwat Prasad and Shankar Lal, a fourth generation tailor to Rama's idol. The temple construction officially started again after a Bhumi - Pujan ( transl.  ground breaking ceremony ) on 5 August 2020. The three-day long Vedic ritual

7869-671: The Kapad-Dwar collection in the City Palace Museum in Jaipur . R. Nath , who has examined these records, concludes that Jai Singh had acquired the land of Rama Janmasthan in 1717. The ownership of the land was vested in the deity. The hereditary title of the ownership was recognized and enforced by the Mughal State from 1717. He also found a letter from a gumastha Trilokchand, dated 1723, stating that, while under

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7998-634: The Masjid to Babar are not genuine in favor of an omission in account by Fr. Joseph Tieffenthaler to conclude that Mir Baki does not exist and the mosque was constructed by Aurangzeb instead of Babur . However, omissions of this kind "are hardly every given credence" in history. Moreover, Justice Agarwal wrongly concludes that Mir Baqi is a fictional character because he could not find the person 'Mir Baqi Isfahani' or 'Mir Baqi' in Babur's Memoirs. Habib et al. (2010) argue that `Baqi Tashkandi` and `Baqi Shagawal` are

8127-406: The Muslim administration people had been prevented from taking a ritual bath in the Saryu river, the establishment of the Jaisinghpura has removed all impediments. The Jesuit priest Joseph Tieffenthaler , who visited Awadh in 1766–1771, wrote, "Emperor Aurangzebe got the fortress called Ramcot demolished and got a Muslim temple, with triple domes, constructed at the same place. Others say that it

8256-480: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board to get the rest. The court also ruled that the status quo should be maintained for three months. All the three parties appealed against the division of disputed land in the Supreme Court . The Supreme Court (SC) held final hearing on the case from 6 August 2019 to 16 October 2019. The bench reserved the final judgment and granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on 'moulding of relief' or narrowing down

8385-413: The VHP leader, Ashok Singhal . Initially, the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh had agreed that the shilanya s would be conducted outside of the disputed site. However, on 9 November 1989, a group of VHP leaders and Sadhus laid the foundation stone by digging a 200-litre (7-cubic-foot) pit adjacent to the disputed land. The singhdwar ( transl.  main entrance ) of

8514-437: The bhumi pujan, but instead had been kept away. He added that the committee for the temple was formed at the BJP's central office and the Hindu Mahasabha was sidelined. The temple trust decided to launch a nationwide "mass contact and contribution campaign" aimed at reaching 55–600 million people. Voluntary donations of ₹ 1 (1.2¢ US) and higher were accepted. On 1 January 2021, former President Ram Nath Kovind made

8643-407: The birthplace of Rama. The court observed that the Hindu claim is 'undisputed' and opined that there is clear evidence that Hindus believed that site to be Rama's birthplace. The trust was eventually formed under the name of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra . On 5 February 2020, it was announced in the Parliament of India that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accepted

8772-406: The construction of the Ram mandir was one of the worlds biggest crowd funded projects. Fundraising by the Mandir trust has ended on 27 February 2021. In 2015, the Hindu Mahasabha , among the leading organisation involved in the Ram Mandir issue, alleged the BJP-affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of carrying out donation scam of over ₹ 1,400 crore (US$ 170 million) over the construction of

8901-523: The construction of the temple, and the fusing of the stone blocks has required ten thousand copper plates. In a culturally significant move, Thailand also symbolically contributed to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, by sending soil to the Ram Janmabhoomi , building on their prior gesture of sending water from two rivers in Thailand to honour the temple. According to the temple trust, the final blueprint of Ram Mandir included temples dedicated to Surya , Ganesha , Shiva , Durga , Vishnu and Brahma in

9030-409: The control of a site regarded since at least the 18th century among many Hindus to be the birthplace of their deity Rama , the history and location of the Babri Masjid mosque at the site, and whether a previous Hindu temple was demolished or modified to create the mosque. The site of the Babri Masjid has been claimed to be the birthplace of Rama since at least 1822. Hafizullah, a superintendent at

9159-500: The corners. Annapurna and Hanuman temples are on the northern and southern arms. The foundation features a 14-metre (46 ft)-thick roller-compacted concrete layer resembling artificial rock, with a 21-foot (6.4 m) granite plinth for moisture protection, avoiding iron use. Accessibility is ensured with ramps, lifts, and facilities for the elderly and differently-abled. A pilgrims facility centre for 25,000 people offers medical and locker services. Environmental focus preserves 70% of

9288-557: The cutting of the sandstone was slowed down. In early 2022, a video was released by the temple trust, showing the planned construction of the temple in 3D along with other related information. In January 2023, two 60-million-year-old Shaligram rocks, 26 tonnes and 14 tonnes respectively, were sent from the Gandaki river in Nepal . These rocks were used to carve the idol of Ram Lalla in the sanctum sanctorum . In August 2023, according to

9417-578: The design and construction of the temple free of cost, and became the contractor of the project. The Central Building Research Institute , National Geophysical Research Institute and the Bombay , Guwahati and Madras IITs have assisted in areas such as soil testing , concrete supply and design. The construction work has been accomplished with 600,000 cubic feet (17,000 m) of sandstone from Baansi in Rajasthan . No iron and steel has been used in

9546-471: The division of disputed land to the Supreme Court. In the Supreme Court's verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in 2019 , it was decided that the disputed land would be handed over to a trust formed by the Government of India for the construction of a Ram temple. The court referenced the 2003 report from the ASI, as evidence suggesting the presence of a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that

9675-489: The duration of the speeches, and stormed the mosque shortly after noon. A police cordon placed there to protect the mosque was heavily outnumbered. The mosque was attacked with a number of improvised tools, and brought to the ground in a few hours. This occurred despite a commitment from the state government to the Indian Supreme Court that the mosque would not be harmed. More than 2000 people were killed in

9804-400: The end of which the Hindu activists broke into the mosque and placed idols of Rama and Sita inside. On 22–23 December, idols were installed inside the mosque and the people were led to believe that the idols had 'miraculously' appeared in the monument. Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel insisted that the idols should be removed, however, Govind Ballabh Pant was not willing to remove

9933-401: The first contribution towards the construction of the Ram Mandir by donating more than ₹ 5 lakh (US$ 6,000). Several leaders and notable personalities across the nation followed this. By April 2021, around ₹ 5,000 crore (US$ 600 million) was collected from donations across India. Nearly 150,000 VHP activists participated in collecting donations. The temple trust also received donations from

10062-461: The first day of its opening, following the consecration, the temple received a rush of over half a million visitors, and after a month, the number of daily visitors was reported to be between 100,000 and 150,000. The site of the temple has been the subject of communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India, as it is the former location of the Babri Masjid mosque, which was built between 1528 and 1529. The idols of Rama and Sita were placed in

10191-607: The first phase of construction of the Ram Mandir in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India caused a temporary suspension of the construction. On 25 March 2020, Ram's idol was moved to a temporary location in the presence of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh , Yogi Adityanath . In preparation for the temple's construction, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organised a ' Vijay Mahamantra Jaap Anushthan ', in which individuals would gather at different places to chant

10320-546: The fortress of Rama in Ayodhya, and the Bedi, where the birthplace of Rama is situated. The first instance of religious violence was documented in 1853. In December 1858, the British administration prohibited Hindus from conducting puja (rituals) at the contested site. A platform was created for conducting rituals outside the mosque. The murtis ( transl.  sacred images ) of Rama and Sita were installed inside

10449-529: The government of Bihar to arrest Advani. In spite of this, a large number of ' Kar Sevaks ' or Sangh Parivar activists reached Ayodhya and tried to attack the mosque. They were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh police and the paramilitary forces, resulting in a pitched battle in which several kar sevaks were killed. Accusing the central government led by V.P. Singh of being weak, the BJP withdrew its support, necessitating fresh elections. In these elections,

10578-552: The ground floor of the three-story temple was complete and was expected to open for the devotees in January 2024. The Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust announced that Hindu astrologers had selected 22 January 2024 as the auspicious date for the consecration ceremony. In preparation for the Prana Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony, the Government of Uttar Pradesh earmarked ₹ 100 crore (US$ 12 million) for 'Ramotsav,'

10707-411: The idols and added that "there is a reasonable chance of success, but things are still in a fluid state and it will be hazardous to say more at this stage". By 1950, the state took control of the structure under section 145 CrPC and allowed Hindus, not Muslims, to perform their worship at the site. The mosque had been converted into a de facto temple. Both the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and

10836-403: The importance of preserving ancient traditions and values in a rapidly modernising world. The guest list also included prominent industrialists, scientists, actors, army officers, spiritual leaders and Padma awardees . The event was organised by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra . ISO 15919 ISO 15919 is an international standard on the romanization of many Brahmic scripts , which

10965-471: The independent witnesses were all connected, while adding that their opinions were offered without making a proper investigation, research or study into the subject. Udit Raj 's Buddha Education Foundation claimed that the structure excavated by ASI in 2003 was a Buddhist stupa destroyed during and after the Muslim invasion of India. The excavations by the ASI were used as evidence by the court that there

11094-432: The issues on which the court is required to adjudicate. The final judgement in the Supreme Court was declared on 9 November 2019. The Supreme Court ordered the land to be handed over to a trust to build the Hindu temple. It also ordered the government to give an alternate 2.0 hectares (5 acres) of land to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque. The court has said in its verdict that

11223-480: The local tradition, which believed that emperor Aurangzeb ( r.  1658–1707 ) built the mosque after demolishing a temple dedicated to Rama. Between 1528 and 1668, no text mentioned the presence of a mosque at the site. The earliest historical record of a mosque comes from Jai Singh II , a Rajput noble in the Mughal court, who purchased the land of the mosque and the surrounding area in 1717. His documents show

11352-405: The main gate and restored the site in full to the Hindus. Hindu groups later requested modifications to the Babri Mosque, and drew up plans for a new grand Temple with Government permissions; riots between Hindu and Muslim groups took place as a result, and the dispute became sub-judice. The political, historical and socio-religious debate over the history and location of the Babri Mosque, is known as

11481-539: The makeshift Ram temple at the site of the destroyed Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. All five were shot dead in the ensuing encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), while one civilian died in the grenade attack that the attackers launched to breach the cordoned wall. The CRPF suffered three casualties, two of whom were seriously injured with multiple gunshot wounds. Reports on two archaeological excavations in 1978 and 2003 conducted by

11610-561: The members of the Muslim and Christian communities. In August 2021, a viewing location was created for the public to observe the construction works in the temple site. Following the groundbreaking ceremony, up to 40 feet (12 m) of debris were removed and the remaining earth compacted. The foundation was made using roller-compacted concrete . A total of 47–48 layers, with each layer 1-foot (0.30 m) high, were completed by mid-September 2021. Due to electricity supply issues in Mirzapur ,

11739-413: The middle of the garbhagriha ( sanctum sanctorum ) and on the entrance passage. The Shri Ram Darbar, located on the first floor, comprises five halls – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthana Mandap, and Kirtan Mandap. In Nagara style, the mandapas are decorated with shikharas . Adorned with deity statues, the temple includes dedicated mandirs for Surya , Bhagwati, Ganesh , and Shiv at

11868-405: The mosque in 1949, before it was attacked and demolished in 1992 . In 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered the verdict to give the disputed land to Hindus for construction of a temple, while Muslims were given land nearby in Dhannipur in Ayodhya to construct a mosque . The court referenced a report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as evidence suggesting the presence of

11997-454: The north and 50 pillar bases in association with a huge structure One of the judges of the Allahabad High Court in 2010 criticised the independent experts who had appeared on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board including Suvira Jaiswal , Supriya Verma, Shireen F. Ratnagar and Jaya Menon. The witnesses withered under scrutiny and were discovered to have made "reckless and irresponsible kind of statements". He also pointed out that

12126-640: The older edition in 1932, wrote, "The faqirs answered that they would bless him if he promised to build a mosque after demolishing the Janmasthan temple. Babur accepted the faqirs' offer and returned to his homeland." The fact that Babur came in the guise of a Qalandar is corroborated in Abdullah's Tarikh-i Dawudi , where it is detailed that he met the Sultan Sikandar Lodhi in Delhi in

12255-474: The orders of the Allahabad High Court . The report of the excavation concluded that there were ruins of "a massive structure" beneath the ruins of the mosque which was "indicative of remains which are distinctive features found associated with the temples of north India", but found no evidence that the structure was specifically demolished for the construction of the Babri Masjid. The report received both praise and criticism, with some other archaeologists contesting

12384-705: The passage of the Acquisition of Certain Areas at Ayodhya Act in 1993. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ruled that the 1.12 hectares (2.77 acres) of disputed land be divided into three parts, one going to the Ram Lalla or Infant Rama, represented by the Hindu Mahasabha for the construction of the Ram temple, one going to the Muslim Sunni Waqf Board , and one going to Hindu religious denomination Nirmohi Akhara . All three parties involved appealed against

12513-410: The results of the report. The five-judge Supreme Court bench heard the title dispute cases from August to October 2019. On 9 November 2019, the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi , announced their verdict ; it vacated the previous decision and ruled that the land belonged to the government based on tax records. It further ordered the land to be handed over to a trust to build

12642-586: The same disguise. The inscription on the Babri mosque also names him as Babur Qalandar . Musa Ashiqan's grave is situated close to the Babri mosque site, whose shrine uses two of the same type of black basalt columns used in the Babri mosque, indicative of his role in the destruction of the prior temple. Tulsidas , who began writing the Ramcharit Manas in Ayodhya on Rama's birthday in 1574 (coming there from his normal residence in Varanasi ) mentioned

12771-421: The same person as `Mir Baqi` on the inscriptions. Similarly, ASI professionalism has been criticized for not tabulating the contrarian evidence like animal bones and glazed pottery in spite of explicit instructions from the courts. ASI has also been criticized for ignoring or selecting loose group of brickbats as pillar bases to support their theory of temple beneath the mosque. In 1950, Gopal Singh Visharad filed

12900-429: The sanctum sanctorum is octagonal in shape. The temple covers an area of 4.0 hectares (10 acres), while the remaining 23 hectares (57 acres) of land has been developed into a complex with a prayer hall, a lecture hall, an educational facility and other facilities including a museum and a cafeteria. According to the temple committee, the site has a capability to handle 70,000 visitors. Larsen & Toubro offered to oversee

13029-413: The site and that they should be allowed to build a temple on the site, all of which were denied by the colonial government. In 1946, an offshoot of the Hindu Mahasabha called Akhil Bharatiya Ramayana Mahasabha (ABRM) started an agitation for the possession of the site. In 1949, Sant Digvijay Nath of Gorakhnath Math joined the ABRM and organised a 9-day continuous recitation of Ramcharit Manas , at

13158-483: The site for Hindus and to erect a temple dedicated to the infant Rama (Ramlala) at this spot. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed in 1980 from the remnants of the Jana Sangh , became the political face of the campaign. In 1986, a district judge ruled that the gates would be reopened and Hindus permitted to worship inside, providing a major boost to the movement. In September 1990, BJP leader L. K. Advani began

13287-424: The site of the destroyed mosque. In 2007, M. N. Gopal Das, the then head of the Ram temple, received phone calls making threats against his life. Many terror attacks by banned jihadi outfits like Indian Mujahideen cited the demolition of Babri Mosque as an excuse for terrorist attacks. Several years later mosques were built in the Faizabad district, in which the pilgrim city of Ayodhya falls. Ayodhya itself has

13416-643: The table below. The table below shows the differences between ISO 15919, UNRSGN and IAST for Devanagari transliteration. Only certain fonts support all Latin Unicode characters for the transliteration of Indic scripts according to this standard. For example, Tahoma supports almost all the characters needed. Arial and Times New Roman font packages that come with Microsoft Office 2007 and later also support most Latin Extended Additional characters like ḍ, ḥ, ḷ, ḻ, ṁ, ṅ, ṇ, ṛ, ṣ and ṭ. There

13545-550: The temple by the Bharatiya Janata Party . Rama is a prominent Hindu deity who is regarded as a Pūrṇāvatāra ( lit.   ' complete avatar ' ) of the God Vishnu . and some Hindus view Rama as Para Brahman ( lit.   ' The ultimate Brahman ' ). Rama holds huge significance in Hindu culture and religion. In the Rama avatar, Vishnu is not supposed to exhibit any of his divine potencies and lead life as

13674-529: The temple complex became the world's third largest Hindu temple . It is designed in the Māru-Gurjara architecture of Nagara style , a type of Hindu temple architecture found primarily in northern India. A model of the proposed temple was showcased during the Prayag Kumbh Mela in 2019 . The temple's main structure has been built on a raised platform with three storeys. It has five mandapas in

13803-423: The temple grounds. The Ram Mandir was built with funds gained through international fundraising drives, involving nearly two million volunteers. Ramnath Kovind was the first to contribute, donating ₹ 500,000 on 14 January 2021, during his tenure as the 14th president of India . Over 127 million donations amounting to approximately ₹ 50 billion were received by the temple. Some media outlets in India claimed that

13932-495: The temple's construction with regards to its design and involvement of the Muslims, claiming that they found Islamic motifs in the Ram Mandir. Champat Rai , the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, responded to these concerns by saying that temple was being sculpted by experts, and there could be no question about their religion. The vice-president of the Hindu Mahasabha, Pandit Ashok Sharma, said that

14061-455: The temple. The VHP denied this allegation. In 2019, the national spokesperson of the Nirmohi Akhara , Mahant Sitaram Das, accused the VHP of carrying out a ₹ 1,400 crore (US$ 170 million) scam over the temple. Political leaders from opposition parties have also questioned the methods of fund collection. The public were warned of instances in which online scammers posed as fundraisers. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust began

14190-409: The testimonies of several eyewitnesses, the report stated that many of these leaders had made provocative speeches at the rally that provoked the demolition. It also stated that they could have stopped the demolition if they had so wished. Many Muslim organisations have continued to express outrage at the destruction of the disputed structure. In July 2005, terrorists attacked the makeshift temple at

14319-407: The two strands of 'saffron politics' came together. While the lawsuits continued in 1950s and 1960s, the Ayodhya dispute took a new shape in 1984 when the VHP carried out procession in Ayodhya, seeking "liberation" of the site from the mosque. In the 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), belonging to the mainstream Hindu nationalist family Sangh Parivar , launched a new movement to "reclaim"

14448-452: The young Babur came from Kabul to Awadh (Ayodhya) in disguise, dressed as a Qalandar ( Sufi ascetic), probably as part of a fact-finding mission. Here he met the Sufi saints Shah Jalal and Sayyid Musa Ashiqan and took a pledge in return for their blessings for conquering Hindustan . The pledge is not spelled out in the 1981 edition of Abdul Ghaffar's book, but it is made clear that it

14577-425: Was a house where Beschan [Vishnu] was born in the form of Ram." The Baburnama , Babur's diary in which he meticulously documented his life, bears no mention of either the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya or the destruction of a temple for it (there is a known lacuna in his diary between 3 April and 17 September 1528, which period covers Babur's visit to Ayodhya ); neither do his grandson Akbar's court documents,

14706-493: Was a non-Islamic building before the mosque. However, the court concluded that no evidence was found that a non-Islamic structure was specifically demolished for the construction of the Babri Masjid. Aligarh Historians Society has criticized both the ASI and the Allahabad High Court Judgement on several grounds. First, Justice Agarwal concluded that inscriptions on the Babri Masjid that attribute

14835-561: Was agreed upon in 2001 by a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries. However, the Hunterian transliteration system is the "national system of romanization in India " and a United Nations expert group noted about ISO 15919 that "there is no evidence of the use of the system either in India or in international cartographic products." Another standard, United Nations Romanization Systems for Geographical Names (UNRSGN),

14964-421: Was appealed a year later and the Faizabad district court once again rejected it by "citing the passage of time" as the reason for rejection although the court agreed with the Hindu petitioner's claim by taking note that "It is most unfortunate that a masjid should have been built on land specially held sacred by the Hindus. But as that event occurred 356 years ago it is too late now to remedy the grievance." This

15093-432: Was believed to have entered the waters of Saryu in his ascent to heaven. According to a local tradition recorded by Francis Buchanan and Alexander Cunningham , Ayodhya became desolate after Rama's ascent to heaven and "Vikramaditya" revived it. (In Raghuvamsa , Rama's son Kusa revived it.) Prabhavatigupta , the daughter of Chandragupta II , was a Rama devotee. Her son, Pravarasena II wrote Sethubandha , in which Rama

15222-411: Was constructed by 'Babor'. Fourteen black stone pillars of 5 span high, which had existed at the site of the fortress, are seen there. Twelve of these pillars now support the interior arcades of the mosque." This ambiguity between Aurangzeb and Babur could be significant. Tieffenthaler also wrote that Hindus worshipped a square box raised 5 inches (13 cm) above the ground, which was said to be called

15351-458: Was destroyed or not during Medieval rule which eventually led to Ayodhya dispute that was resolved legally. The Trayōdaśakṣarī maṁtra ( lit.   ' 13-character mantra ' ) also known as Śrī Rāma Tāraka Mantra ( lit.   ' The Rama mantra for Salvation ' ) is Śrī Rāma Jaya Rāma Jaya Jaya Rāma and many Hindus believe that chanting it repeatedly lead to salvation . Tāraka means something that carries or helps

15480-666: Was developed by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) and covers many Brahmic scripts. The ALA-LC romanization was approved by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association and is a US standard. The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is not a standard (as no specification exists for it) but a convention developed in Europe for

15609-578: Was evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but this was disputed by Muslims. After the Supreme Court dismissed a plea to defer the High Court verdict, on 30 September 2010, the High Court of Allahabad, the three-member bench ruled that the disputed land be split into three parts. The site of the Ramlala idol would go to the party representing Ram Lalla Virajman (the installed Infant Ram deity), Nirmohi Akhara to get Sita Rasoi and Ram Chabutara, and

15738-428: Was followed by Hindu riots in 1934 following a cow slaughter which damaged the Babri Masjid. In 1949 devotees of Rama placed idols dedicated to him in the mosque, and the structure was subsequently declared off-limits to Muslims. The Babri Masjid was destroyed during a political rally on 6 December 1992, triggering riots all over the Indian subcontinent . Many attempts were thwarted previously, one of which led to

15867-434: Was found to be non- Islamic . The Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement concluded that the underlying structure beneath the mosque was not an Islamic structure, and also concluded that no evidence was found that a non-Islamic structure was specifically demolished for the construction of the Babri Masjid. Another salient aspect in the apex court's judgement is on the question on the claim of Hindus that disputed structure as

15996-629: Was held ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony, which revolved around the installation of a 40 kg (88 pounds) silver brick as the foundation stone by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . On the day before on 4 August, the Ramarchan Puja ( transl.   Puja of Rama's feet ) was performed, in order to ritually invite all the major deities into the temple. On the occasion of the Bhoomi Poojan , soil and holy water were collected from several religious places across India, such as

16125-630: Was invited to perform the Prana Pratishtha of the newly made idol in the sanctum sanctorum. In preparation, he undertook an 11-day fast, consuming only coconut water and fruit and sleeping on the ground at night. He performed the consecration ceremony on 22 January 2024 from 12:15 PM to 12:45PM IST . Prime Minister Modi urged every Indian to light up diyas to mark the occasion and celebrate it like Diwali . The guests were addressed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath , RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Modi. Modi also spoke of Rama as

16254-480: Was no mention of Babur in this account, the Ayodhya mosque had been juxtaposed with those built by Aurangzeb at Mathura and Banaras. Jai Singh II (popularly called "Sawai Jai Singh", 1688–1743) purchased land and established Jaisinghpuras in all Hindu religious centres in North India, including Mathura, Vrindavan, Banaras, Allahabad, Ujjain and Ayodhya. The documents of these activities have been preserved in

16383-451: Was performed ' ). Temples commemorating these events used to exist in olden days as Janmasthān temple, Svargadvār temple and Trētā-kā-Thākūr temple respectively. However, they were destroyed during Islamic rule in the medieval ages and mosques were built. While Marxist historians like Irfan Habib agree about the fate of Svargadvar and Treta-ka-Thakur temples, there is some lack of consensus among scholars whether Janmasthan temple

16512-464: Was placed inside the mosque, which triggered the dispute. In Buddha's time (600 BCE) the present-day Ayodhya was called Saketa and it was one of the 6 largest cities of North India. During the Gupta times, either Kumaragupta or Skandagupta made it their capital, after which it came to be called Ayodhya. Kalidasa wrote Raghuvamsa here, and referred to Gopratara tirtha (Guptar Ghat), where Rama

16641-473: Was the first Mughal emperor of India and the founder of the Mughal Empire . It is believed that one of his generals, Mir Baqi , built the Babri Masjid ("Babur's Mosque") in 1528 on his orders. The belief came into currency since 1813–14, when the East India Company 's surveyor Francis Buchanan reported that he found an inscription on the mosque walls which attested to this fact. He also recorded

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