History of Babri mosque

New Delhi: Located in Ayodhya, the Babri mosque is one of the largest mosques in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state. According to the mosque’s inscriptions, it was built in 1528 AD by one Mir Baqi, on orders of the Mughal emperor Babur, after whom it is named.

The mosque was located on a hill known as Ramkot.

According to a section of Hindus, the Mughals destroyed the structure marking the birthplace of Hindi deity Lord Rama to build the Babri mosque, a claim denied by Muslims. The political, historical and socio-religious debate over the history of the site and whether a previous temple was demolished or modified to create the mosque, is known as the Ayodhya dispute.

Starting in the 19th century, there were several conflicts and court disputes between Hindus and Muslims over the mosque.

On December 6, 1992, the demolition of the Babri mosque by activists of Hindu nationalist groups triggered riots all over India, leading to around 2,000 deaths.