The upcoming inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will witness the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla occurring between 12:29:08 PM and 12:30:32 PM
The Pran Pratishtha will occur during the auspicious Abhijeet Muhurat, lasting for a duration of 84 seconds
The inauguration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is poised to take place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and distinguished figures such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, and the president of the temple trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, on January 22.
Below is the chronological sequence leading to the consecration ceremony:
The destruction of the temple to make room for a mosque – 1528
According to the prevalent narrative documented in government gazettes, the general Mir Baqi, under the rule of Mughal emperor Babur, built a mosque by demolishing a temple at the presumed ‘Ram’s birthplace’ in Ayodhya’s Ramkot.
Controversy during the period of British colonial rule in India
- The first instance of religious violence over the Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya took place in 1853. During Nawab Wajid Shah’s rule in Awadh, the Nirmohis, a Hindu sect, claimed that a Hindu temple had been destroyed during Babur’s reign to make way for the mosque.
- Six years later, the British authorities erected a fence to divide the site into two parts. Muslims were granted permission to pray inside the mosque, while the outer court was designated for Hindu worship.
- In January 1885, Mahant Raghubir Das applied to the Faizabad district court, seeking approval to construct a canopy on the Ramchabutra, a raised platform outside the mosque. However, the request was rejected.
Idols of Ram Lalla placed within the Babri Mosque – 1949
The emergence of the Lord Ram idol inside the Babri Masjid led to legal action. Gopal Singh Visharad filed a petition in a Faizabad court seeking permission to worship the deity. Hashim Ansari, an Ayodhya resident, contested this, urging the court to remove the idols and preserve the site as a mosque. Subsequently, the government secured the area, yet priests were granted permission to conduct daily rituals.
A petition requests the return of property to Muslims — 1961
A petitioner initiated legal action seeking the return of the property to Muslims. The Sunni Central Wakf Board filed a suit in the Faizabad civil court, asserting the Babri Mosque as the board’s property.
Initiation of a campaign for the construction of the Ram Temple — 1980s
- A committee, spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad party (VHP), was formed with the aim of “liberating” the birthplace of Lord Ram and constructing a temple in his honor.
- In 1986, the Ayodhya court issued an order, prompted by a plea from Hari Shankar Dubey, allowing Hindus to offer prayers at the contested mosque. This led to the formation of the Babri Mosque Action Committee by Muslims in protest.
- In adherence to the court’s decree, the government, under Rajiv Gandhi, instructed the unlocking of the gates of Babri Masjid. Before the court ruling, only a Hindu priest had the authority to perform an annual puja. Following the verdict, all Hindus were granted access to the site, causing the mosque to assume a dual role as a Hindu temple.
Foundation stone for the Ram Temple laid by the VHP — 1989
The VHP commenced the building of a Ram temple on land adjacent to Babri Masjid. Justice Deoki Nandan Agarwal, a former VHP Vice-President, filed a case seeking the mosque’s relocation. Consequently, four ongoing suits in the Faizabad court were transferred to a special bench of the High Court.
The Rath Yatre – 1990
- Led by its then-president, LK Advani, the BJP orchestrated a nationwide Rath Yatra journeying from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya. The primary goal of this procession was to demonstrate solidarity with the ongoing Ram Temple agitation, spearheaded by the VHP at that time.
- The yatra comprised thousands of kar sevaks, or volunteers, associated with the Sangh Parivar. Commencing in Somnath, Gujarat, on September 25, 1990, the journey traversed numerous villages and cities. Covering an approximate distance of 300 kilometers each day, LK Advani, at the forefront of the yatra, frequently addressed as many as six public rallies in a single day.
- On October 23, 1990, then Prime Minister VP Singh granted authorization to Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Chief Minister of Bihar, to apprehend LK Advani. The BJP president was taken into preventive custody as his procession crossed the border between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The mosque is razed to the ground – 1992
The contentious Babri Mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992, by the karsevaks in the presence of leaders from Shiv Sena, VHP, and BJP. This act of destruction sparked extensive communal riots across the country, leading to the tragic loss of at least 2,000 lives during the ensuing violence.
Archaeological Survey of India conducts a survey – 2003
During 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a survey of the contested site and presented evidence of a substantial Hindu complex beneath the mosque. Nevertheless, Muslim organizations contested these findings, resulting in ongoing disagreements regarding the historical interpretation of the site.
The Allahabad High Court divides the contested site into three parts – 2010
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court pronounced its verdict on the four title suits related to the dispute. The court determined that the contested land should be partitioned into three segments: one-third allocated to Ram Lalla, represented by the Hindu Mahasabha; one-third to the Islamic Waqf Board; and the remaining third to the Nirmohi Akhara. Following this, in December, both the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and the Sunni Waqf Board appealed to the Supreme Court, contesting the decision of the High Court.
All three parties appeal to the Supreme Court — 2011
- All three entities—the Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Lalla Virajman, and Sunni Waqf Board—lodged appeals against the judgment of the Allahabad High Court.
- The Supreme Court issued a stay on the High Court’s decision to partition the contested site into three parts.
The Supreme Court directs the government to transfer the land for the construction of the Ram Temple – 2019
- On November 9, 2019, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court rendered a verdict instructing the transfer of the disputed 2.77 acres of land to a trust, to be established by the Government of India, for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Additionally, the court mandated the government to provide an alternative five acres of land at a different location for the Sunni Waqf Board to construct a mosque.
- The five-judge bench, led by the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, issued the order. Notably, he retired just eight days after delivering the judgment on November 17. The other four judges on the bench were Justice SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Ashok Bhushan, and Justice S Abdul Nazeer.
- The trust formed for the construction of the Ram temple was named Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Shetra, consisting of 15 members.
Ceremony for laying the foundation stone — 2020
On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the construction of the Ram Temple. During the event, the Prime Minister unveiled a plaque and released a commemorative postal stamp.