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The Babri Masjid was a historic religious building in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Built in 1528 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Babur, this mosque is an important issue in the history of communal riots in India. On December 6, 1992, the 462-year-old historic mosque was demolished by thousands of mobs. It has a deep impact on India’s religious harmony and politics. Even after 32 years have passed, the incident is still an important issue in Indian politics and society.
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History of Babri Masjid
The mosque was built in 1528-29 by Mir Baki, the general of Mughal Emperor Babur. It is known as Babri Masjid after Emperor Babur. Later it became an important religious center of the region.
Babri Masjid is famous for its unique architecture. Its architecture was influenced by the Mughal style. Its internal sound-control and cooling system is a sixteenth-century marvel. Regarding the Babri Masjid’s impressive acoustics, the book ‘Historic Structures of Ayodhya’ states, ‘The sound placement and projection from the mimbar is quite advanced for a sixteenth-century structure. The unique placement of words in this structure will amaze the visitor.
According to modern architects, the Babri Mosque’s impressive acoustics are due to the fact that the mihrab (a semicircular wall on one side of the mosque that points to the Qibla) and the surrounding walls have various grooves that act as resonators. This design helped everyone hear the imam in the mihrab. Also, the sandstone used in the construction of the Babri Masjid served as resonances that helped in the mosque’s soundproofing process.
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How the controversy started
In 1853, the temple-mosque controversy started for the first time. Then the Hindu community claimed that it was the birthplace of Rama. Hindus were allowed to worship in the mosque premises during British rule. This creates communal tension. In 1949, Hindu activists in alliance with the Hindu Mahasabha secretly placed an idol of Rama inside the mosque. Soon after, the government sealed the entire mosque in an attempt to prevent riots. Later, both Hindus and Muslims filed court cases to gain access to the site.
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How the Babri Masjid was demolished
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hindutva organizations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP pushed for the rebuilding of the Ram temple on the site of the Babri Masjid. In 1990, BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani gained massive support through the Rath Yatra. On December 6, 1992, lakhs of volunteers gathered in the premises of Babri Masjid. They broke the dome of the mosque amid communal tension. The mosque was completely demolished due to the failure of the administration and lack of security. After the incident, communal riots spread across India. It killed thousands of people. Most of them were Muslims. The Muslim community sees this incident as an attack on their religious rights and existence. India’s religious tolerance has been criticized in the international arena as well. (Gopal Sarvapeli, The Babri Masjid Issue and the Hindutva Agenda, Penguin Books)
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Legal battle over Babri Masjid
Several cases were filed after the destruction of the mosque. Among these was a dispute over land-ownership. The Allahabad High Court ruled in 2010 that the disputed land should be divided equally between the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara, and Ramlala. As a result, Hindus got two-thirds of the land. Muslims are one part. All parties appealed to the High Court.
On November 9, 2019, the High Court overturned the lower court verdict and declared that the entire 2.77 acres of Babri Masjid land should be given to a trust that would build a Hindu temple. At the same time, the court directed the government to give an alternative 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of the mosque. After the hearing of the case, rejecting the fact that the ’92 terrorist attacks were pre-planned,’ the court released a total of 32 accused, including BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani (later Home Minister of India), Murali Manohar Joshi, and Uma Bharti. The verdict created frustration and anger in the Muslim community, as the three judges could not agree on whether the destroyed Babri Masjid was built on top of a destroyed temple. (Pratap Bhanu, The Indian Judiciary and the Babri Masjid Case, Oxford University Press)
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After effect of demolition of Babri Masjid
The demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992 had a long-term impact on the political, social, religious, and economic aspects of the Indian subcontinent. It has a profound impact not only on India’s communal relations but also on India’s identity on the world stage.
After the destruction of the Babri Masjid, massive communal riots broke out in all over the India. This incident deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims, and communal tensions intensified. Immediately after the incident, around 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in riots in various places, including Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and, Kanpur.
The demolition of the Babri Masjid is an important turning point in the political history of India. Because after this incident, Hindutva organizations like the BJP formed an important foundation for the rise of their political foundations. In 1998, the BJP came to central power and Hindutva politics spread. Apart from this, this incident accelerated the religious polarization in Indian politics. As a result, Hinduism began to be used as a political tool.
After the Babri Masjid demolition, the role of the courts and the administration was debated. The judgment of the Allahabad High Court (2010) called for dividing the disputed land into three parts. And the Supreme Court’s final verdict (2019) went in favor of the Hindus and allowed construction of a Ram temple on the disputed land and allotted alternative land to Muslims. The Muslim community views the court ruling as discriminatory against their rights. It raises questions about the impartiality of the judiciary.
Further, the Babri Masjid demolition challenges India’s secular position internationally. As a result, Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia,Pakistan, and Iran strongly condemned this incident. Apart from this, international human rights organizations have expressed concern about the country’s treatment of India’s religious minorities.
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The Erosion of India’s Religious Pluralism
The incident of mosque destruction deeply affected the religious harmony of India. It smacks of the religious pluralist character of India. Apart from that, Hindu-Muslim relations deteriorated drastically. Moreover, the Muslim community continues to suffer from uncertainty about their social and religious rights. (Muzaffar Alam, The Muslim Minority and the Indian State)
Economic activities were disrupted too due to communal riots and tensions. Stagnation occurs in trade and commerce. Its adverse effects are especially seen in urban areas. Many times Muslim shops, businesses, and houses were bulldozed. This reduces the attraction of foreign tourists to the traditional buildings of India.
Communal tensions have a negative impact on the educational and cultural sectors also. Religious tensions led to polarization among students. There were even incidents of communal attacks on Muslim women students. Apart from that, the multi-dimensionality of Indian culture got affected. It reduces sensitivity to religious traditions. Many historical buildings were destroyed that are still standing. (Zefferlot, The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics)
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A Wound That Won’t Heal
The Babri Masjid—an architectural marvel, an echo of a once-diverse past, now reduced to rubble—wasn’t just a mosque, it was a symbol. A symbol of India’s pluralism, its idea of unity in diversity. And on that day, it was reduced to dust.
But here’s the thing: the dust doesn’t settle. The ashes don’t fade. What happened on that cold December day continues to smolder. It’s a fire that hasn’t gone out, not for the Muslim community, not for the oppressed, not for anyone who still believes in the principle of equality—because let’s be real: what followed wasn’t a “removal of a structure” as some would call it, but a systematic assault on an identity, a culture, a people.
Now, 32 years later, the political elite, the ruling class—those who wield power with a cruel smile and a cold heart—have moved on. But the people who once stood in the shadow of that mosque, their voices silenced, their wounds still fresh, are still reeling. Are we to believe that a verdict—a political one dressed up as legal—will somehow heal this deep scar? Are we to forget that the land was never just land, but history? Memory? Faith?
