Ayodhya and the Power of Protest: Unraveling Religion, Identity, and Politics in Social Movements.

The present case study highlights the relevance of religion in social movements by employing the example of the Ayodhya dispute in modern day India. From very early on, the conflict, which is traditionally caste and ethnic-based, has revolved around the tensions and importance of the particular site which all Hindus and Muslims claim to hold religious ties. Here the Ayodhya temple issue and the undemolished Babri mosque s any rise of Hindu nationalist movements that would agitate for the building of a Ram temple in the ruins of demolished Babri masjid, its demolition in 1992 and extended court cases which culminated in the supreme court ruling of 2019 will be discussed. The Ayodhya movement is indicative of how religious identities are politicised in the name of the nation. This, in turn, politicizes the discourse on identity and influences the formation of the country. It explains the persistent pressure of religion and secularism in India's polity. This case study is also informative on the dynamics of religion and contemporary social movements and politics.