Hindus Gather to Build Temple at Disputed Site
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NEW DELHI — Thousands of Hindus gathered with stones and shovels on the grounds of a mosque Thursday, defiantly preparing to build a Hindu temple despite a government ban and the likelihood of clashes with Muslims.
About 150,000 volunteers are gathered at Ayodhya, 300 miles east of New Delhi, to begin building a colossal temple Sunday. Their plans call for tearing down the Babri Masjid mosque, which has stood at the site for 430 years.
More than 1,000 people died in riots in 1990 when Hindus launched the campaign to build the temple.
Many Hindus believe the site is the birthplace of the warrior-god Rama. Radical Hindus claim that 16th-Century Mogul invaders--who were Muslims--tore down a temple to Rama at the site and used the rubble to build the Babri Masjid.
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