Thousands mourn Ayodhya leader

The body was positioned "according to saintly tradition"

Thousands of Hindu mourners have gathered in Ayodhya for the funeral of an activist at the centre of a religious dispute in the northern Indian city.

Weeping devotees, dressed in saffron, circled the garland-wrapped body of Ramchandra Das Paramhans during Friday's ceremony.

Mr Paramhans was at the forefront of the movement to build a temple on disputed holy land in the city.

He died on Thursday at the age of 92 after a long illness.

Mr Paramhans' body was arranged in a seated, meditating position "according to traditions of saints", an aide said.

His head was smeared with sandalwood paste and his body bedecked in flower garlands.

The open coffin was then carried through the city as followers chanted "Long live god Ram, long live Paramhans. We will fulfil your dream".

Nationwide riots

The Ayodhya dispute flared in 1992, when Hindu hardliners demolished a mosque at the site.

"Long live Paramhans", mourners chanted during the coffin's journey

They said the 16th century mosque had been built on the birthplace of the god-king Ram.

Thousands of people died in nationwide riots after the demolition.

Mr Paramhans' cremation will take place on the banks of the river Saryu with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and other officials paying homage.

Addressing mourners before the funeral, Mr Vajpayee called upon the people to work together to fulfil the Hindu leader's last wish to build the temple, although he admitted there were many hurdles.

The president of his governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Venkaiah Naidu, said Mr Paramhans' death was a great loss to the nation.

"The BJP is shocked over his demise," Mr Naidu said. "He was a source of inspiration for millions."

Major setback

Ramchandra Das Paramhans had been suffering from liver cancer.

With his beard and long, matted hair, Mr Paramhans became well-known to Indian television viewers.

Mr Paramhans was an "inspiration to millions", the BJP president said

He had been involved in the Ram temple movement for the past 70 years and headed the trust formed to build the temple.

The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in Lucknow says his death will be a major setback to the movement.

Mr Paramhans' successor has been named as Baba Nrityagopal Das.

The Ayodhya temple campaign was spearheaded by right-wing Hindu groups closely affiliated to the BJP and was partly responsible for the sudden rise in the party's fortunes in the 1990s.

The site, holy to both Hindus and Muslims, has been a constant source of religious clashes.

In recent weeks the BJP has come under pressure from right-wing Hindu nationalists to try to implement a law to ensure the temple can be built.

A new law would bypass the courts which have failed to bring about a resolution to the problem.

An archaeological dig is under way at the site to try to determine whether a Hindu temple did once exist on the site of the destroyed mosque.

Earlier this month the high court in the city of Lucknow gave archaeologists working at the site five more weeks to carry out their investigations and another two weeks to complete their report.