A Hindu temple known as the Ram Mandir is now being built at Ayodhya, which is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is situated near the location of Ram Janmabhoomi, which is believed to be the place where Rama, a central deity in Hinduism, brought into the world.
Here is the Complete history of Ram Mandir’s years in timeline format.
15th century – In this century, the Babri Masjid was built in Ayodhya by the first Mughal Emperor Babur destroying major parts of Ayodhya Ram Mandir. The foreign rulers were literally bad at constructing anything. They mostly made changes to several mandirs before and after, and renamed it.
1853-1859: Initial documented occurrences of religious conflict at the location. The Hindus rose again during the British period.
1949 – In a surprising turn of events, religious statues of Lord Rama were put (appeared) within the Babri Masjid and were considered a miracle of Lord Ram. It felt as if he was reclaiming his birthplace. The location was inaccessible earlier, prompting legal claims from both Hindu and Muslim factions. Muslims, we can understand but Hindus standing against their own culture was a tormenting act.
1986 – The government led by Rajiv Gandhi unlocked the locks to the Babri Masjid, permitting Hindus to pray inside. It was done to consolidate the Hindu votes by the Congress Government but it was soon closed again. As a result, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) revived the campaign to build a Ram Mandir at the location where Babri Masjid stands.
1990 – L.K. Advani, who was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the time, along with Atal Bihari Vajpaayi, spearheaded the Rath Yatra, a procession with political and religious significance, to Ayodhya. The purpose of this march was to advocate for the construction of the Ram Mandir. Initially a small event, soon it turned into a national event with Hindus all over India joining the Rath Yatra.
1992 -In December 1992, a significant group of Hindu activists and Ram devotees demolished the Babri Masjid despite constant Government warnings. The occurrence resulted in extensive intercommunal strife throughout India. Several Kar sevaks were killed during the act. It also led to the bombings in Mumbai spearheaded by Dawood Ibrahim.
1992 to 2002 – these were periods characterized by communal tensions and judicial disputes. In Godhra, Hindu Kar sevaks were killed in broad light when their train arrived at the Godhra Station by a bunch of Muslims. It led to the statewide riot in the state of Gujrat, which at that time was led by the current PM Narendra Modi.
2002 – the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated the site of Ayodhya and discovered traces of a structure that existed before giving evidence that there was indeed a Ram mandir there before the Babri Masjid was created.
2010 – The Allahabad High Court decreed that the contested land should be partitioned between the Hindu and Muslim factions. The verdict was brought before the Supreme Court on appeal and the fight for the land began.
2019 – In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India made a historical ruling by considering all the evidence presented by both parties granting the contested land to a trust to construct the Ram Mandir. Additionally, it designated an alternative parcel of land to build a mosque to subdue the protest of the Muslim faction.
2020– On August 5, 2020, the Bhoomi Pujan, a ceremonial event to mark the beginning of building, was held for the Ram Mandir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the construction of the Mandir started.
2024 – On January 22, 2024, the construction of Ram Mandir is near completion and will be opened to everyone. PM Narendra Modi does the PranPratishtha and marks the beginning of a new Indian Era.