The fundamentalist World Hindu Council, or VHP, was involved in the destruction of the 16th-century mosque, in December 1992. The attack has since triggered interreligious violence that has cost thousands of lives.
The VHP believes the mosque site marks the birthplace of their principal god Rama and that a temple had once been erected there.
In Ayodhya, Mahant Yugal Kishore Shastri, one of the Hindu religious leaders, accused the VHP leaders of stirring up Hindu-Muslim confrontations.
“The VHP’s decision is a violation of constitutional norms and foments religious terrorism,” Shastri said in reference to the construction of the temple.
