Q&A: The Ayodhya dispute

The Babri Mosque was torn down by a Hindu zealots in 1992

The religious dispute over Ayodhya in northern India has been a source of tension between Hindus and the country's Muslim minority for nearly two decades.

The BBC answers key questions about the history of the site and the dispute.

Why is the site disputed?

Many believe that Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, is the birthplace of one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, Lord Rama.

Ayodhya is mentioned in several Hindu scriptures and has been a place of holy pilgrimage for centuries.

Why is the dispute over Ayodhya so dangerous?

Militant Hindus demolished the 16th-century Babri mosque in 1992, vowing to replace it with a Hindu temple to Rama.

They say they were justified in destroying the mosque because there used to be a Hindu temple marking Rama's birthplace on that spot before.

The mosque was torn down by supporters of the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council), the Shiv Sena party and then-opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The destruction prompted one of India's worst bouts of nationwide religious rioting between Hindus and the country's Muslim minority, which left 2,000 people dead.

The bloodshed was viewed as the most serious threat to India's secular identity since independence in 1947.

Why is Ayodhya so politically sensitive?

India's main opposition BJP and its Hindu hardline associates were closely involved in the destruction of the mosque.

Between 1998 and 2004 when a BJP-led coalition governed India, the party had to maintain a delicate balance between Hindu hardline organisations such as the VHP and its coalition partners who favour a negotiated settlement between Hindus and Muslims.

The VHP say the construction of a temple is a matter of conscience and they will ignore any court decision against them.

Several BJP leaders still face legal proceedings over the destruction of the mosque.

And last year Indian archaeologists said they found the remains of a structure similar to a Hindu temple under the ruins of an ancient temple, sparking off a fresh legal battle between Hindus and Muslims.

When did tensions last escalate?

On 27 February 2002, more than 50 people died when a train carrying Hindu activists returning to Gujarat from Ayodhya was set alight, allegedly by a Muslim mob.

More than 1,000 people - mainly Muslims - died in the violence that erupted following this attack. Some independent accounts placed the numbers killed at close to 2,000.

A month later hardline Hindus held a ceremony at the Ayodhya site as part of their campaign for the construction of a temple.

A massive security operation largely forestalled a feared outbreak of religious violence.