A mosque is built on the site by Mughal emperor Babur which Hindus allege is the birthplace of Lord Ram and site of an earlier temple.
British officials erect a fence to separate the places of worships, allowing the inner court to be used by Muslims and the outer court by Hindus.
Mahant Raghubir Das files a suit seeking permission to build a temple on Ram chabootra but his plea was rejected a year after by the Faizabad district court.
Idol of Lord Ram surfaces inside mosque. Muslims claim that it was kept there by the Hindus on the intervening night of 22-23 December. Muslims protest and both parties file civil suits.The government terms the premises a disputed area and locks the gates.
First title suit is filed by Gopal Singh Visharad asking for the right to worship the idols installed at ‘Asthan Janmabhoomi’.
Nirmohi Akhara enters the fray and files the third suit, seeking possession of the site, doing away with the court-appointed receiver. It claims itself to be the custodian of the spot at which Ram was supposedly born.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) started nationwide movement for construction of temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
A fresh suit is filed by former VHP vice-president Deoki Nandan Agarwala in the name of Lord Ram for declaration of the title and possession in its favour at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.
VHP carries out Shilanyas ceremony in Ayodhya and the first stone of the planned Ram temple is put in place.
Karsevaks under VHP leaders clash with Uttar Pradesh police in Ayodhya, police uses force to control the crowd. Scores of karsevaks were killed.
This marks the turning point of the entire dispute when Babri mosque is razed to the ground by supporters of the VHP, the Shiv Sena and the BJP, prompting nationwide communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in which more than 2,000 people was died.
Three Allahabad High Court judges begin hearings on determining who owns the religious site.
SC constitutes a mediation panel with FM Kalifulla as the chairman and comprising spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, to mediate in the land title dispute.
The almost 70-year long dispute comes to an end. The five-judge bench orders setting up of a trust that will eventually pave the way for construction of a temple at Ayodhya. It also orders allotting 5 acres to Muslims in Ayodhya for building a mosque.
The temple trust set up by the government was initially headed by Parasaran was tasked to nominate the remaining three members. On 19 February 2020, the first meeting of trust held at the residence of Parasaran, elected Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas' chief, Mahant Nrityagopal Das Ji Maharaj as the Chairman and VHP vice-president, Champat Rai as the General Secretary
Since its establishment, the trust has collected about ₹3,500 crore in donations. With the initial construction cost constituting only around 51.4 per cent of its total donations, the trust will have enough for maintenance and other activities centred around the temple in the years to come.
The inauguration marks a hugely significant religious moment. Many Hindus believe Ayodhya to be the birthplace of the popular deity Lord Ram and the building of the temple, after over a century of disputes, has been heralded as Ram returning to his rightful place, and India freeing itself from the chains of past religious occupation.
