Supreme Court last year said the disputed site belongs to Lord Ram (Representational)
The Sunni Waqf Board, a top Muslim body, will accept the five-acre plot allotted by the Uttar Pradesh government in Ayodhya earlier this month in line with a Supreme Court verdict on the decades old temple-mosque dispute. The Muslim body today said apart from a mosque, an Indo-Islamic cultural centre, a charitable hospital and a public library will also come up on the land.
The decision to accept the plot was taken at a board meeting. "It has been decided at a meeting of the board to take the five-acre land given to us by the UP government," board chairman Zufar Farooqui was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"Besides the mosque, there will be an Indo-Islamic research centre, a public library, a charitable hospital and other useful facilities on the land," he added.
A trust will be formed to oversee the construction of the mosque.
Asked if the mosque will be named after Babri Masjid, which was demolished by a mob in 1992, he said, "It will be decided by the trust. The board has nothing to do with it."
The Supreme Court had in November last year said in a landmark verdict that the ownership of the site claimed by both Hindus and Muslims was entirely with Ram Lalla or infant Lord Ram. The government was ordered to set up a trust to oversee the building of a Ram temple.
The court had denounced the mosque demolition and ordered that five acres be given to the Sunni Waqf Board at a "prominent" alternative site for the building of a mosque.
Earlier this month, a plot of land was assigned for the mosque which is some 25 km from the temple-mosque site. Sources had said the spot chosen by the Yogi Adityanath government is located outside the "14 kosi parikrama", or an area of some 42 km around Ayodhya town that devotees circle during religious events.
There have been differences between Muslim groups over accepting the plot of land for the mosque, which is around 18 kilometers from the district headquarters.
Earlier this month, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), one of the biggest Muslim bodies in the country, had said the Sunni Central Waqf Board was not the representative of the entire Muslim community, adding its decision on the plot of land mustn't be considered the decision of all Muslims.
The Sunni Waqf Board had earlier said rejecting the land was not possible as it would amount to contempt of court.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month announced the creation of a trust for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
With inputs from PTI