In what could be termed as a historic day for millions of Indians, the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya begins today.?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony and lay the foundation brick. At least 170 eminent guests have been invited for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.?
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat are among the people who will attend the ceremony.
The site of the Ram Temple had been disputed for decades until last year, when the Supreme Court in November awarded a Hindu group the ownership of the site.
A long battle has been fought between several parties who claimed the land, including the demolition of Babri Masjid by Hindu fringe groups.
Here's a quick timeline of the events that led to today's historic day:
1528: Babri Masjid is constructed in Ayodhya
1853: First recorded instance of religious violence near the site
1859: Fence erected to allow separate access to both community members
1949: Ram & Sita idols placed inside the site. The government declares the site disputed
1984: Committee created to build a temple on the site
1989: VHP lays the foundation for the Ram temple
1990: BJP supremo LK Advani undertakes ĄŽRath Yatra'
Dec 6, 1992: Babri Masjid is demolished?
1992: Liberhan Commission is formed
2010: Allahabad High Court rules that the site should be split
2011: Supreme Court suspends the High Court ruling
2017: SC calls for ĄŽout of courtĄ¯ settlement
March 2019: SC refers the case for mediation
August 2019: Mediation fails. SC begins day-to-day hearing of the case
October 2019: Hearing concludes
November 2019: Supreme Court unanimously decides that a temple will be built at the disputed Ayodhya site. An alternate site was given to the Sunni Waqf board
December 2019: Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi files review petition against the ruling, following many other review petitions. Supreme Court dismisses all petitions
February, 2020: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board accepts five acres of land allotted to it by the state government for building a mosque
August 5, 2020: Bhoomi Pujan at the Ram Temple site in Ayodhya