Ram Janmabhoomi is a location in the Indian city of Ayodhya which is believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of the god Rama. The site is intensely contested because it is also the location of a recently destroyed Muslim mosque, Babri Masjid. This mosque was built in the 16th century by emperor Babur, but according to some accounts it was built over an earlier Hindu temple. In the late 20th century some Hindus, mostly associated with the nationalist Hindutva movement, argued for the destruction of the mosque, which had been unused, and the rebuilding of the temple. In 1992, a Hindu mob tore down the mosque. To date, the site remains unused, as India's courts decide on its eventual disposition. According to a controversial study conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2003, the evidence indicates that a Hindu temple did exist at the site prior to the construction of the mosque.
The name Ram Janmabhoomi simply means "birthplace of Rama."
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