With the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in the Indian city of Ayodhya just a few days away, let’s take a look at the significant events leading up to the moment that millions across the country, if not the world, have been looking forward to for years now. 

1528: Babri Masjid was built by Mir Baqi, commander of Mughal emperor Babur.

1885: The legal dispute began as Mahant Raghubir Das filed a suit to build a temple near a mosque. The Faizabad District Magistrate denied permission, leading Das to file a title suit against the Secretary of State. The Faizabad Court rejected his plea, initiating a prolonged legal battle.

1949: On the night of December 22nd, a Ram Idol mysteriously appears inside the mosque. Hindus view it as a divine sign, while some claim it was smuggled in at night. Hindus begin offering prayers.

1950: Gopal Simla Viharad and Paramhansa Ramachandra Das file two suits in Faizabad Court, seeking permission for Hindu pujas to Ram Lalla. The Court grants permission for the pujas and orders the inner courtyard gates to be locked.

1959: Nirmohi Akhara initiates legal action, filing a suit to claim possession of the site.

1961: UP Sunni Wakf Board files a suit to claim possession of the Babri Mosque site and requests the removal of Ram Idols from Babri Masjid.

1981: UP Sunni Central Waqf Board files suit for possession of the site.

1984: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) forms a group to initiate the Ram Janmbhoomi Movement, appointing BJP leader LK Advani as the campaign leader.

February 1, 1986: The local court instructs the government to allow access to the site for Hindu worshippers.

November 9th, 1989: PM Rajiv Gandhi grants permission to the VHP for the Shilanayas (foundation stone laying) near the disputed area.

1989: All title suits are transferred to Allahabad High Court. Additionally, a new suit in the name of Ram Lalla Virajman was filed in the High Court, with the parties from the Nirmohi Akhara (1959) and Sunni Waqf Board (1961) named as defendants.

September 25th, 1990: LK Advani initiates a Rath Yatra from Somnath (Gujarat) to Ayodhya (UP) to garner support for the Movement, resulting in communal riots.

December 6th, 1992: Babri Mosque Demolished - A violent mob of Karsevaks destroys the Babri Mosque, leaving a makeshift temple in its aftermath.

April 3, 1993: The Centre passes the Acquisition of Certain Areas at Ayodhya Act, 1993, for the acquisition of land in the disputed area at Ayodhya.

1993: Several writ petitions, including one by Ismail Faruqui, are submitted at the Allahabad High Court, contesting various aspects of the Act.

October 24, 1994: In the landmark Ismail Faruqui case, the Supreme Court declares that a mosque is not inherently integral to Islam.

April 2002: The High Court initiates hearings to determine the ownership of the disputed site.

March 13, 2003: In Aslam alias Bhure Case the Supreme Court rules that no religious activities are permitted on the acquired land.

March 14, 2003: The Supreme Court states that the interim order should remain in effect until the resolution of the civil suits in Allahabad High Court to uphold communal harmony.

March-August 2003: Following the directives of the Allahabad High Court, the Archaeological Survey of India conducts excavations under the disputed site, claiming to discover remnants of a 10th-century Hindu Temple. The ASI report is contested by Muslims.

June 30th, 2009: The Liberhan Commission, after a 17-year delay, submits its report to the Prime Minister. However, the contents of the report are not disclosed to the public.

September 30, 2010: The High Court divides the Ayodhya land among three parties: one-third each for the Sunni Wakf Board, Nirmohi Akhara, and Ram Lalla Virajman, with the 2:1 ratio favouring Hindu litigants.

May 9, 2011: Supreme Court stays High Court decision on Ayodhya land dispute.

February 26, 2016: Subramanian Swamy files a plea in the Supreme Court seeking the construction of the Ram Temple at the contested site.

March 21, 2017: Chief Justice of India JS Khehar proposes an out-of-court settlement among conflicting parties.

August 7, 2017: The Supreme Court forms a three-judge bench to address pleas challenging the 1994 Allahabad High Court ruling.

August 8, 2017: UP Shia Central Waqf Board informs the Supreme Court that a mosque could be constructed in a Muslim-dominated area at a reasonable distance from the disputed site.

September 11, 2017: The Supreme Court instructs the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to appoint two additional district judges as observers for the maintenance of the disputed site within ten days.

November 20, 2017: UP Shia Central Waqf Board tells the Supreme Court that a temple can be built in Ayodhya and a mosque in Lucknow.

December 1, 2017: 32 civil rights activists file a plea challenging the 2010 verdict of the Allahabad High Court.

February 8, 2018: The Supreme Court commences the hearing of civil appeals.

March 14, 2018: The Supreme Court dismisses all interim pleas, including Swamy’s, requesting to intervene as parties in the case.

April 6, 2018: Rajeev Dhavan files a plea in the Supreme Court, urging the reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgment to be referred to a larger bench.

July 6, 2018: The UP government informs the Supreme Court that certain Muslim groups are attempting to prolong the hearing by seeking a reconsideration of the 1994 verdict's observations.

July 20, 2018: Supreme Court reserves its verdict.

September 27, 2018: Supreme Court declines to refer the case to a five-judge Constitution bench.

January 2019: The Supreme Court established a five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi for the case.

April 2019: Nirmohi Akhara opposes the Centre’s plea to return acquired land around the Ayodhya site to its owners.

November 9, 2019: Supreme Court issues a historic verdict, concluding the nearly 70-year dispute. It directs the transfer of the disputed 2.77 acres of land to a trust, to be established by the Indian government, for the construction of the Ram Temple. The court also allocates five acres to Muslims in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque.

August 5, 2020: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Mandir.

January 22, 2024: Consecration ceremony (Pran Pratishtha) planned for the idol of Ram Lalla.