Frenetic politics of the 1990s helped pave the way

The sadhus in saffron with their gamchas (cotton towel) are out on the streets before the break of the dawn, silently walking to the Saryu for a holy dip - an age-old daily routine.

Many then visit the Nageshwarnath temple, believed to have been built by Ram's son Kush, or Hanuman Garhi. Rarely do they walk to the heavily barricaded makeshift Ram Temple.

Now, after the consecration ceremony on January 22, many plan to start their day with prayers at the Ram Temple. The last time the city was buzzing this way was in the 1980s, the decade that changed the course of the 150-year-old dispute.

The saga began on March 6, 1983, when at its Muzaffarnagar convention, the Hindu Jagran Manch passed a resolution for the liberation of Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

In 1984, 500 Hindu saints gathered at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan and endorsed the demand. Dharmacharyas decided to lead the movement, pressing for a shilanyas or groundbreaking.

The BJP, formed in 1980, was still nascent. Only in 1989 would it formally adopt the emotive issue as part of its charter.

Sadhus started countrywide yatras, demanding the unlocking of the disputed shrine. Minorities were alarmed. In 1986, a Faizabad court judge unlocked the gates. The Babri Masjid Action Committee was formed.