AYODHYA, INDIA, June 2, 2002: Thousands of Hindu nationalists prayed and marched Sunday here, winding up a 108-day celebration that was part of a campaign to pressure the government to let them build a temple at the site of the razed Babri Masjid. Nearly 10,000 police and military troops guarded the northern town of Ayodhya, where authorities feared Hindu-Muslim clashes. Devotees prayed at the site, where thousands of Hindu nationalist tore down the 16th century building in 1992. Hindus believe that the Hindu deity, Ram, was born at the site and that the Babri Masjid was built by Mogul emperor Babur after he ordered destroyed the temple marking the site. The mosque demolition set off riots that killed 2,000 people across India. Since then, Hindu hard-liners have campaigned to build a majestic temple on the site in Ayodhya. But the government has barred any construction on the disputed site until the country’s Supreme Court gives its verdict on a large number of related petitions.
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