Ayodhya: India PM Modi leads Ram temple ceremony at divisive holy site

India PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya.

Hindu mobs demolished a medieval mosque there in 1992, saying it was built on the ruins of a temple for Lord Ram, a revered deity.

Mr Modi laid a symbolic silver brick in the sanctum sanctorum, or innermost sanctuary, of the site as scores of devotees watched the event on giant screens across the city.

Hindus believe Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram. And the construction of the temple is a core promise made by Mr Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is seen as a huge symbolic gesture for its strident Hindu nationalist base.