Temple or mosque

last updated 8 January 2015

Ayodhya, India

Archaeologists digging at a holy site claimed by both Hindus and Muslims have found what look like the remains of a Hindu temple. The site, Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, once featured a 16th-century Moghul mosque. But in 1992, Hindu fundamentalists tore down the mosque, saying it was built over the ruins of a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama. The riots that followed killed hundreds of Muslims. A court-ordered dig to determine which religion first built on the site has now released preliminary findings that show a large, templelike structure dating perhaps to the 11th century. Muslim activists disputed the findings, saying the government-funded archaeologists were biased toward Hindus.