The holy brick for the construction of the mosque in Ayodhya town in the politically significant north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which recently witnessed the consecration of the Ram Temple, has arrived in India.

The first brick reached India after a consecration pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The brick, baked in a Mumbai kiln, was sent for a ‘gusl’ (wash) with the holy Zam-Zam water in Mecca and in perfumes in Medina before it was brought back here, reported Hans India.

The brick is scheduled to arrive in Ayodhya in mid-April dring Ramadan festivals.

Muhammad Bin Abdullah Masjid or Ayodhya Mosque is being constructed in Dhannipur, Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh.

Ram Temple consecration

Scripting history, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (January 22, 2024) inaugurated the much-awaited Ram Temple and unveiled the Ram Lalla idol in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.

Modi was accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the rituals, which were performed by the Prime Minister.

From celebrities to politicians and seers, Ayodhya is currently overwhelmed by people from far and wide places who hope to witness a watershed religious event that will mark the course of the nation in the coming months. Many of them arrived in private jets for the ceremony.

A dark past

A majority of Hindus claimed that the site was the birthplace of Lord Ram before Muslim Mughals razed a temple at the spot to build the Babri Masjid.

In a landmark verdict in 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to the Hindu community and ordered to allot a separate plot to Muslims.

The temple site remained an issue of bitter contest between Hindus and Muslims with both the religious factions laying claim to it for nearly seven decades.

It also witnessed violence in 1992 when a mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque which stood at the site, which was built over a Hindu temple according to the court's final verdict.