This story is unique and multifaceted. It involves a tussle among the government, judiciary and devotees that persisted for over 27 years. However, the root issue goes back almost 500 years.
What is Ramjanmabhoomi dispute?
The Ayodhya land dispute, also known as the Ramjanmabhoomi case, has been ongoing for decades. It centers around a plot of land in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which for Hindus, is the birthplace of their aradhya Ram, also the prominent king of ancient India.
The place, where a Hindu temple once stood, was demolished to construct a mosque during the era of Islamic invaders in India in 1500s. On December 17, 1959, Nirmohi Akhara filed a suit seeking possession of the site, claiming custodianship. Following this, the Sunni Central Board of Waqf also filed a suit claiming ownership on December 18, 1961.
Rise of a movement
As part of the support for the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, the Bharatiya Janata Party Led by then-BJP President L. K. Advani organised a rath yatra across the country to Ayodhya in 1990. What follwed is the mosque’s demolition In 1992, after which the issue gained prominence. Advani, who now considers the demolition day the saddest in his life, also agrees that the day marked an epoch-making day for India and Hindus, signaling the community’s refusal to tolerate denial and disrespect towards its legitimate sentiments.
The dance of democracy
The demolition initiated a battle that would span decades before the judiciary of the world’s largest democracy reach a rightful decision. Years passed, with nothing substantial emerging from the dispute, except for political stunts. The aradhya of millions waited in a tent as seasons flew by.
Then, on August 6, 2019, the five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, commenced day-to-day hearings. Midway through the proceedings, the advocates were directed to finish the argument by October 16.
On October 16, 2019, the Supreme Court concluded hearings and reserved its judgment, passed on November 9. In a historic unanimous verdict, it granted ownership of the disputed 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya to the Ram Janmabhoomi trust.
The court ordered that an alternative piece of land in a “suitable” and “prominent” place in Ayodhya be given to the Muslims to build a mosque.
The decision to allot the disputed land for the construction of a Ram temple was seen as a balanced act of closure to a long-standing and deeply divisive issue.
A battle of 500 years, won in 90 days
What became a political stunt for over 500 years, took just 90 days to resolve when their was a political willingness. On January 22, 2024, the grand ‘Pran-Pratishtha’ ceremony will take place in Ayodhya, a day engraved in history, resurrecting a past of moral righteousness for millions in India.
PM Modi, who comes from the BJP, will be the Chief Guest at the ceremony. When in 2020, he dropped the massive silver brick as a ceremonial foundation stone in the soil of Ayodhya, it now seems he took a pledge to create an India, that is Bharat, inspired by the philosophy of Ram Rajya!
From ruins to Ram reigns
As the Ram Mandir is built and golden doors are installed by devotees, a city that lost its past to decades-long battles is thriving. Just days before the ceremony, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 15,700 crore at Ayodhya Dham.
From international airports to cultural corridors, Ayodhya is now being described as a city that will be an example for others in terms of development, as told by Dikshu Kukreja in an exclusive message to Doordarshan.
The resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute is more than just a legal verdict; it represents a significant moment in India’s history, marking the end of a protracted struggle that shaped the nation’s collective conscience. As the nation awaits the ceremony, millions are already convinced that Ram Rajya has come to Ayodhya, and in turn, for the nation.
By: Surabhi Somvanshi