Hindu militants have demolished the Babri Mosque and attacked other Muslim targets, in one of India's worst outbreaks of communal violence.
In Context
The destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya triggered some of the worst inter-communal violence since partition in 1947. More than 2,000 people died in rioting throughout India. The BJP's leader, LK Advani, resigned as leader of the opposition, accepting "moral responsibility".
He subsequently became deputy PM in the BJP government of Atal Behari Vajpayee. He was among seven Hindu leaders ordered to stand trial in 2003 for inciting violence at Ayodhya. In February 2002, one of the Hindu groups involved in the 1992 demonstration, the VHP, again called hundreds of volunteers to the site to begin construction of the temple.
> In pictures: Ayodhya attack
> Q&A: The Ayodhya dispute
About Ayodhya: Lying on the banks of the Ghaghara River just east of Faizabad, Ayodhya in ancient times was one of India's greatest cities. It was the capital of Kosala, as described in the Ramayana.
On YouTube: Demolition of Babri Masjid
