[16] The court referenced a report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as evidence suggesting the presence of a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that was found to be non-Islamic.

Devotees of Rama such as Valmiki, Tulsidas, Bhadrachala Ramadasu, Samartha Ramadas, Tyagaraja, Purandara Dasa, Gondavalekar Maharaj and Mahatma Gandhi popularised this mantra.

The main presiding deity),[f] the Mandir Trust has informed that the Ram Lalla Virajman idol of 1949 shall henceforth be used as Utsava mūrti (lit.

[41] In 1528, the commander of the Mughal Empire, Mir Baqi, constructed the Babri Masjid mosque, under the order of Babur, on the site of the Ram Janmabhoomi, the mythical birthplace of Rama.

[42][page needed][c] The earliest record of the mosque may be traced back to 1767, in the Latin book Descriptio Indiae, authored by the Jesuit missionary Joseph Tiefenthaler.

sacred images) of Rama and Sita were installed inside the Babri Masjid on the night of 22–23 December 1949 and the devotees began to gather the next day.

the foundation stone ceremony) to proceed, with the then Home Minister, Buta Singh, formally conveying the permission to the VHP leader, Ashok Singhal.

[50][51] The demolition of the mosque resulted in several months of inter-communal violence between India's Hindu and Muslim communities, causing the death of an estimated 2,000 people in Bombay (now Mumbai) as a direct consequence, and triggering riots all over the Indian subcontinent.

[52] A day after the demolition of the mosque, on 7 December 1992, The New York Times reported that over 30 Hindu temples across Pakistan were attacked, some set on fire, and one was demolished.

[66][67] The court referenced the 2003 report from the ASI, as evidence suggesting the presence of a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that was found to be non-Islamic.

On 5 February 2020, it was announced in the Parliament of India that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accepted a plan to construct the temple.

The foundation features a 14-metre (46 ft)-thick roller-compacted concrete layer resembling artificial rock, with a 21-foot (6.4 m) granite plinth for moisture protection, avoiding iron use.

[24] In 2019, the national spokesperson of the Nirmohi Akhara, Mahant Sitaram Das, accused the VHP of carrying out a ₹1,400 crore (US$160 million) scam over the temple.

[26] A number of Hindutva proponents, including online social media influencers, raised objections over the temple's construction with regards to its design and involvement of the Muslims, claiming that they found Islamic motifs in the Ram Mandir.

Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, responded to these concerns by saying that temple was being sculpted by experts, and there could be no question about their religion.

[109] The President of the Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, had questioned the authority of Home Minister Amit Shah, after he declared the opening date of the temple.

[111] The Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Indian media for diverting attention from critical governance issues by overly focusing on the temple.

The three-day long Vedic ritual was held ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony, which revolved around the installation of a 40 kg (88 pounds) silver brick as the foundation stone by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

[118] Writer and activist Arundhati Roy, a noted critic of PM Modi, pointed out that the chosen date marked one year since the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

[119] In 2017, the Hindu Mahasabha accused the BJP, Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar organisations of hijacking the Ram Mandir despite having no involvement in its long battle.

[138] The Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust announced that Hindu astrologers had selected 22 January 2024 as the auspicious date for the consecration ceremony.

[139] In preparation for the Prana Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony, the Government of Uttar Pradesh earmarked ₹100 crore (US$12 million) for 'Ramotsav', a series of religious events that spanned 826 local bodies across Uttar Pradesh along with the Ram Paduka Yatra, commencing in December 2023 and culminating in the grand celebrations from Makar Sankranti on 16 January 2024, and lasting until the inauguration of the Ram Mandir on 22 January.

[140] The trust, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Ayodhya city administrators carried out extensive preparations to accommodate the influx of devotees and invited guests from all over the world.

[157][158][159] Sringeri Sharada Peetham issued a denial that its head seer Bharathi Tirtha had expressed some displeasure and called the ceremony a "matter of joy" for all Hindu believers.

[169][170] As Hindu devotees all over the world throng to have a darśana (auspicious viewing) of this deity, the subsequent economic impact has been estimated to further enrich the state by the end of the year 2024 by four trillion Indian rupees (equivalent to 48 billion US dollars).

[171] Given its religious significance among Hindus, it is estimated that with 50 million annual visitors, Ayodhya's Ram temple is likely to become the most visited Hindu pilgrimage site in India.

[173] Based on the current visitor numbers, the Ayodhya's Ram temple is projected to become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world, surpassing Mecca and the Vatican.

[174] Given the temple rush by devotees from all parts of India, it was estimated that spiritual tourism at Ayodhya has potential to create thousands of jobs as more manpower is required to cater the needs of the Ram mandir visitors and also attract huge investments.

[179] In October 2023, Durga Puja celebrations in Santosh Mitra Square, Kolkata exhibited a replica of Ram Mandir, along with other notable buildings around the world.

[188] There are variations of the slogan such as one used by Lal Krishna Advani: "Saugaṁdha Rāma kī khātē haiṁ, hama maṁdira vahīṁ banāēm̐gē" (transl.