A brief synopsis of the dispute Ramjanmabhoomi for dummies
Muslim v Hindu Ayodhya verdict: the history of the dispute
Then, 150,000 Kar Sevaks, or volunteers, followed LK Advani and other leaders of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party to Ayodhya, where they destroyed the Babri Mosque and electrified Indian politics for the two decades which followed.
In the immediate aftermath, riots claimed more than 2,000 lives in cities throughout India. In Mumbai, Islamic terrorists killed more than 250 people in a series of bombings believed to have been in retaliation for Muslim deaths in the post-Ayodhya riots.
Riots flared again in Gujarat in 2002 after Muslims burned alive 59 Hindus they believed were returning from desecrating the mosque at Ayodhya. More than a thousand people were killed in riots throughout the state.
Today, more than 200,000 troops have been deployed in Northern India to prevent similar violence after the expected High Court ruling on who owns the site at Ayodhya, the Muslim Central Sunni Waqf Board, or a Hindu organisation that wants to build a temple to Lord Rama on the plot of the former mosque.
The dispute dates back to 1853, more than 300 years after the mosque was built by one of Emperor Babur's generals following their defeat of a local Hindu king.
According to Hindu campaigners, Lord Rama, one of their most revered deities, was born on the site, and an 11th Century Ram temple stood there until it was destroyed by troops loyal to Babur, the Muslim conqueror and India's first Mughal emperor. The general, Mir Baqi, named the mosque in his emperor's honour, but it became more commonly known as 'Masjid -i-Janmasthan' – Mosque of the Birthplace – in acknowledgement of Rama's birth there.
Since the first Hindu-Muslim clash was recorded over the issue in 1853, there have been intermittent protests and petitions by each side to establish their claim to the site.
The case which will be decided at Allahabad High Court today was launched in 1992 and seeks to determine the rightful title owner of the plot, whether the site was the birthplace of Lord Rama, and whether the mosque was built on the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
The ruling its politically explosive. If it finds in favour of Hindus who want to rebuild a Ram Temple on the site, it will alienate India's 140 million muslims, many of whom already feel marginalised in Indian society.
It will also cause anxiety over their property rights – most plots and mosque sites in India were once owned by Hindus.
More than the ruling itself, public reaction to it will be another test of how far India has travelled from its dark, communal recent history. The government is hoping those on either side of the divide now care more about their rising wealth and their stake in India's growth than settling ancient religious scores.
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