Vajpayee in Ayodhya vow

Mr Paramhans' body was positioned "according to saintly tradition"

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has told mourners at the funeral of a Hindu religious leader that he will fulfil the dying man's wish by building a temple on the disputed Ayodhya site.

He was speaking at the funeral in Ayodhya of Ramchandra Das Paramhans who spearheaded a hardline Hindu campaign to build the temple on the site where a 16th Century mosque once stood.

Thousands of people, mainly Muslims, died in religious violence all across India when a crowd of Hindus tore down the mosque in December, 1992.

"I'm confident all hurdles in the path of construction of the temple will be removed and the temple will be built," Mr Vajpayee said.

"Nothing is impossible," Mr Vajpayee told devotees on the banks of the Sarya river as the 92-year-old cleric was cremated.

"Everyone should try to fulfil his dream. I shall fulfil his last wish. I make this commitment in front of his funeral fire and ashes."

Nationwide riots

Thousands of weeping mourners had gathered in Ayodhya for the funeral.

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

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

His 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 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.