The construction, begun in 2020, had been a contentious issue as the temple stands on the site of a 16th century mosque demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking nationwide riots that killed 2,000 people, mostly minority Muslims. Legal battles ended in 2019 with the Supreme Court deciding to allow a Hindu temple to be built there, on condition that Muslims received another plot to build a mosque. Modi laid the foundation stone of the temple to one of Hinduism's principal deities on a 2.7-acre (one-hectare) plot within a complex that sprawls over 70 acres (28 hectares).