Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the bhoomi pujan for a grand Ram mandir in Ayodhya
Ayodhya witnessed a historic moment on Wednesday with bhoomi pujan for a grand Ram mandir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone and also released a commemorative postage stamp on the 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir'.
Modi had returned to Ayodhya after 29 years on Wednesday for the bhoomi pujan for a grand Ram mandir at the site that was disputed for decades.
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Dressed in a golden kurta and white dhoti, Modi arrived in the temple town by chopper. He performed prayers at various sites before laying a 40-kg silver brick to mark the start of the grand temple. Soil from more than 2000 pilgrimage sites and water from more than 100 rivers was brought for the rituals.
#WATCH: #RamTemple 'Bhoomi Pujan' concludes at #Ayodhya.
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2020
Soil from more than 2000 pilgrimage sites and water from more than 100 rivers was brought for the rituals. pic.twitter.com/DRpoZEKYWw
Ayodhya is a riot of colours for the event. Every spot is decked with flowers and highlights different forms of art. Images released on Monday of the temple design showed a grand three-storey stone structure with multiple turrets, pillars, and domes. The temple will be 161 feet tall.
Bricks laid as part of 'Bhoomi Pujan' for #RamTemple in #Ayodhya.
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2020
Soil from more than 2000 pilgrimage sites and water from more than 100 rivers was brought for the rituals. https://t.co/aGj5yugb2K pic.twitter.com/Ca7Yu5pjpm
Besides Modi, 50 VIPs including, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, also attended the ceremony. Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the temple-mosque dispute, was the first person to be invited.
Ayodhya: PM Narendra Modi releases a commemorative postage stamp on the 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir' pic.twitter.com/fM7ACVNjKJ
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2020
Modi first offered prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple - a shrine to Lord Hanuman.
The controversial dispute came to an end after 134 years. Notably one of the longest legal dispute in the history of India, the struggle for the iconic Ram Janmabhoomi began in 1885 and ended with Supreme court delivering its verdict in November 2019. The first suit in the Ayodhya title dispute was filed in January 1885, by Mahant Raghubar Das before the Sub-Judge, Faizabad.
Petitions continued to be filed over the years and in 1949 an idol of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita was found inside the mosque. Two suits were filed in a Faizabad court in 1950 for permission to worship the idols at the place and in 1959 Nirmohi Akhara filed a suit seeking possession of the site.Petitions continued to be filed over the years and in 1949 an idol of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita was found inside the mosque. Two suits were filed in a Faizabad court in 1950 for permission to worship the idols at the place and in 1959 Nirmohi Akhara filed a suit seeking possession of the site.
Following this in 1981, Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board filed suit for possession of the site and removal of idols and five years later a local court ordered the opening of the site and allowed Hindus to offer prayers.
The legal tussle then reached Allahabad High Court and it ordered status quo on the site in 1989. The court subsequently transferred these suits, along with a separate suit by Hindu worshippers, to itself for trial. After hearing the matter for a period of around eight years, the Allahabad High Court, which began hearing the matter related to determining who owns the disputed site in 2002, gave its judgment on September 30, 2010.
The Supreme Court in its order on November 9, 2019, directed the central government to hand over the 2.77 acres of disputed land to a trust, set up for the construction and management of a Ram mandir.
A five-judge Constitution bench presided by the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had also directed that a suitable plot of land admeasuring five acres be handed over to the Sunni Central Waqf Board granting it the liberty to construct a mosque at the alternate site.
(With inputs from agencies)
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