August 5, 2020, will be etched in the mindscape of millions of Indians as a red letter day, for years to come.
The bhoomi pujan for Ram Mandir at Ayodhya not just marks a new beginning for the construction of the grand temple which promises to be big draw for devotees worldwide but also the end of a long drawn bitter dispute over 2.77 acres of land.
The Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute will be remembered in history as one of the longest cases India has ever seen with multiple twists and turns and endless hours of consultation and negotiation.
#WATCH The idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ at the Ram Janambhoomi site in #Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ for #RamTemple at the site later today. pic.twitter.com/tkIZcHUbKW
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) August 5, 2020
Here’s a quick look at the sequence of events which paved the way for today’s bhoomi pujan at Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
1528
Babri masjid constructed in the site believed to be birthplace of Lord Ram
1853
Religious violence recorded near the site
1859
Fence erected to facilitate separate access to both Hindus and Muslims
1949
Idols of Lord Ram and Sita placed at the site. Government declares the site disputed
ALSO READ: Ayodhya LIVE | PM Modi leaves for Ayodhya; foundation stone-laying ceremony starts at 12.30 pm
1984
Committee formed to build temple at the disputed site
1989
VHP lays foundation for building Ram Mandir
इस तरह बनेगा अयोध्या में रामलला का मंदिर, देखें अयोध्या में तैयारियों का रिपोर्ट कार्ड
देखें पूरी रिपोर्ट – https://t.co/rkENnGOISA
Report By : @TheModernQuill_ pic.twitter.com/uY7SUXTfrg
— NewsMobile Samachar (@NewsMobileHindi) August 3, 2020
1990
BJP patriarch LK Advani undertakes ‘Rath Yatra’
Dec 6, 1992
Mosque demolished triggering unrest
1992
Formation of Liberhan Commission
2010
Allahabad High Court delivers verdict, says site should be split
2011
Supreme Court suspends Allahabad HC verdict
2017
SC calls suggests ‘out of court’ settlement
March 2019
SC refers the case for mediation. Three mediators include retired SC judge FMI Kalifulla, senior advocate Sriram Panchu and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
August 2019
Mediation fails. SC begins day-to-day hearing
October 2019
Hearing concludes in SC
November 2019
SC awards a Hindu group ownership of the site. SC says possession of the land will remain with the Centre’s receiver until a trust is formed. SC orders allocating alternative piece of five acres of land to Muslims for a mosque
December 2019
Review petition filed in SC by Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi against its ruling in favour of the Ram temple. Other review petitions also filed in this regard. SC dismisses a clutch of review petitions
February 2020
Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board accepts five acres allotted to it by the state government for building a mosque
July 30, 2020
Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board forms a 15-member-trust to look after the construction of a mosque at the five-acre land allocated by the government
August 2020
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says that the COVID-19 protocol will be strictly followed during the bhoomi pujan ceremony on August 5. PM Narendra Modi at Ayodhya for the function
