The issue of the Ram Mandir versus the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya is a politico-religious dispute that seems far from reaching a resolution. It repeatedly returns to the spotlight to capture attention like nothing else.
The issue has roots in the claims that Babur, a general of the Mughal Empire, demolished a temple to construct the Babri Masjid. The other layers around the issue are even more complex. Tensions have simmered for decades, fuelled by the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy of the British Raj.
These tensions come to the surface around every court hearing on the issue. Other communal incidents around the country have ties to the Ayodhya issue (the Godhra Massacre of 2002).
The dispute has become an election touchpoint for many political parties.
The Supreme Court has now adjourned the case till January 2019. DH recaps the history behind the issue and the important landmarks that have brought the Ayodhya dispute to where it is today.