Grand mosque project near Ayodhya collapses due to lack of interest from Muslim community

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) – In its historic judgement delivered on 9th November 2019, the Supreme Court decided to hand over the disputed land in Ayodhya to Shriram Lalla and directed that the Sunni Waqf Board be allotted an alternative 5-acre plot in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque. Following this judgement, the mosque project at Dhannipur has collapsed due to the Muslim community’s lack of interest and a severe shortage of donations. As a result, the size of the proposed mosque has been drastically reduced.

1. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation had decided to develop a major project on the 5-acre plot, including a mosque, a hospital and a library. However, this plan has now been shelved.

2. Following the Supreme Court’s judgement, the Uttar Pradesh Government allotted 5 acres of land to the Muslim community in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya. The site is located approximately 25 kilometres from the Shriram Temple on the Lucknow-Gorakhpur National Highway.

3. Even for the construction of the smaller mosque, a minimum of ₹3 crore to ₹5 crore is required. Despite repeated efforts, the Foundation has so far been able to collect donations amounting to only ₹1.05 crore. This amount is insufficient for the project.