Context: For decades, India’s politics has been shaped by a tussle between two competing grand ideas: composite nationalism and cultural nationalism. The laying of the foundation for the Ram Temple on August 5 a 'golden day' 'marks the demise of an old political consensus, and the beginning of a new journey.

History of Ram temple of Ayodhya

• The Ayodhya land dispute is a political, historical and socio-religious debate in India that has been on for decades. The dispute is focused on a plot of land in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, which is regarded among the Hindus to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram.
• According to some beliefs, it was originally the site of a Hindu temple that was demolished to construct a mosque known as Babri Masjid. For their part, Muslims claim that the land was titled to them and Mir Baqi built the mosque on it in 1528 on orders of the first Mughal emperor, Babur.
• The modification/demolition of the temple has stood as a topic of controversy. By some accounts, some Muslims in 1949 saw an idol of Ram being placed inside what was then a mosque. Both Hindu and Muslim sides claimed ownership of the site and that led to an eventual lockdown of the area by the government.
• On December 17, 1959, Nirmohi Akhara filed a suit seeking possession of the site and claimed to be the custodians of the disputed land. Following this, the Sunni Central Board of Waqf also filed a suit claiming ownership of the site on December 18, 1961.
• Later, some Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, demolished Babri masjid, an action that triggered communal riots all over India, killing at least 2,000 people.
• Over the years, the matter has been brought up by both groups in various courts of the country.

Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janambhoomi

• The five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, started day-to-day hearing on the matter from August 6, 2019, and midway through the proceedings, directed the advocates to finish the argument by October 16.
• The Supreme Court, on October 16, 2019, concluded hearings in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya and reserved its judgment, which was passed on November 9. 
• The apex court, in a unanimous verdict, gave the ownership of the disputed 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya to the Ram Janmabhoomi trust. 
• It ordered that an alternative piece of land in a "suitable" and "prominent" place in Ayodhya should be given to the Muslims to build a mosque. The Court also asked the government to frame a plan within three months and set up a trust, which would construct a temple in Ayodhya.
• On November 9, 2019, a Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi unanimously ruled that the disputed land be given to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas for the construction of a temple, and the Muslim side be compensated with five acres of land at a prominent site in Ayodhya to build a mosque.
• In February 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in the Lok Sabha that the government had given its approval to the proposal for "Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra" trust to take care of the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and other related issues.

Importance of Lord Rama 

• The uneasiness came from the fact that Lord Rama is much more than simply being name of a Hindu god. The beauty of Lord Rama lies in his character, not in his name.
• Lord Rama can be simply described as a man who displays perfect moral as well as social behaviour. Lord Rama, in the words of Swami Vivekananda, is “the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband and above all, the ideal king”. 
• He is a symbol of the victory of right over the evil. Lord Rama characterizes how a man should fulfill his moral commitments and should strictly follow his limits so that social order can be maintained. 
• It is precisely due to this fact, he is known as “Marayada Puroshattam” or “The man of limits”.
• Our society realizes the strong value system that revolves around Lord Rama. It is precisely the reason that in a typical Hindu household, Ramayana is favoured for recitation as compared to Mahabharata or for that matter any other Hindu epic. 
• Family members are socialized to be selfless, honest, courageous and maintain highest standards of integrity. Each recital of Ramayana is intended to make family members, especially the children, aware of the importance of inculcating virtues in life. 
• However, this value system gets diminished when the same children enter the public discourse. Lord Ram is not about “Hindu identity” but about “Hindu values”.

Suggestion

• Ayodhya in the past was the centre stage for communal politics and a tool for polarization before elections. The high-pitched events not only disrupted daily life and business, but also endangered communal harmony in the region.
• Lack of jobs and investment, poor infrastructure and an underdeveloped tourism economy have kept Ayodhya far behind other important Hindu religious centres like Mathura and Varanasi.
• In the future, with the acrimony between communities settled by the intervention of the Supreme court and the Democratic institutions supporting this landmark judgment, a new era of Economic progress in the region, exploration of tourism and giving wings to business development should be the priority of the Govt and all the stakeholders in the region.

Road Ahead

• The Ram temple issue is a closed chapter as far as votes and politics in the countries are concerned. Its a new beginning new era Lets celebrate the day.