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Babri Masjid

مسجد بابري

The Babri Masjid of Ayodhya, India, built in the Mughal era and demolished in 1992; subject of a major historical and legal dispute documented in scholarly compilations 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Gunpowder Empires · The Modern Era
Region
South Asia
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Contested: This record includes matters on which scholars differ. The speaker's views are labelled as his, and other views are marked where no cited source yet exists.

ArchitectureMuslim minorities under non-Muslim rule

Overview

The Babri Masjid of Ayodhya, built in the Mughal era (traditionally dated 1528) and demolished in December 1992; subject of a documented historical and legal dispute 1.

Perspectives

  • Muslim account: a functioning waqf mosque built under Babur that stood until its 1992 demolition 1.
  • Academic: the site's claims are weighed through documents, excavation reports and litigation rather than any narrative taken at face value 1.
  • Hindu claim: the site is revered as Rama's birthplace (Ramjanmabhoomi), the mosque standing where a temple had been 1.

Opinions on the question

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

A Mughal-era waqf mosque built under Babur that stood until its 1992 demolition

Muslim accounts, as documented in the dispute's records, describe a functioning waqf mosque built in the Mughal era (traditionally dated 1528) that stood until demolished in December 1992 {cite:noorani-babri-2003}.
More opinions (2)

Academic viewSecondary opinion

A disputed site whose claims are weighed through documents, archaeology and litigation

Scholarship treats the Ayodhya dispute through the documentary record — inscriptions, court proceedings and excavation reports — rather than accepting either claim at face value {cite:noorani-babri-2003}.

Other viewOther opinion

The site revered as Rama's birthplace (Ramjanmabhoomi), for which the mosque was replaced

The Hindu claim holds the site to be the birthplace of Rama and the mosque to have replaced a demolished temple — the claim at the centre of the 1992 demolition and subsequent litigation {cite:noorani-babri-2003}.

People and things also explored

Abu Dulaf Mosque, Samarra· Great Mosque of Adana· Ahi Çelebi Mosque, Istanbul· al-Aqmar Mosque, Cairo· al-Attarine Madrasa, Fez· Great Mosque of Samarra· al-Janad Mosque, Ta'izz· al-Mansur Mosque (Kasbah Mosque), Marrakesh

Sources

  1. Noorani (ed.), The Babri Masjid Question (2003)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Babri Masjid”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/building/babri-masjid/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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