Thirty-three years after the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya, the long-delayed mosque project at Dhannipur may finally begin around April 2026, the head of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) said on Thursday—provided the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) approves the revised layout plan expected to be submitted by the end of December.
Zufar Faruqi, chairman of the IICF, told PTI that although a tentative timeline is emerging, significant uncertainties still surround the project more than five years after the Supreme Court allotted five acres of land for the mosque.
The trust’s first proposed design was rejected by the ADA and later abandoned after widespread community criticism of its modern architectural style. A new, more traditional layout is nearly ready, Faruqi said.
However, he acknowledged the project faces an acute land shortage. Although five acres were allotted at Dhannipur, technical constraints have left the trust with only about four usable acres. As a result, Faruqi hinted for the first time that the mosque complex—which includes plans for a 500-bed hospital, community kitchen and educational facilities—may have to be built in phases at multiple locations if additional land cannot be acquired.
He rejected suggestions that the Dhannipur site’s distance from Ayodhya city was a factor behind potential changes, questioning the motives of those raising objections.
The mosque project has also been slowed by delays in obtaining clearances and a lack of donor enthusiasm. While construction of the Ram temple has been completed, the mosque trust has raised barely ₹3 crore against an estimated requirement of ₹65 crore for the mosque and related facilities.
The IICF hopes to begin fundraising overseas once it receives Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) clearance from the Centre—a decision it expects by year-end or early 2026. Faruqi said donations from within India’s Muslim community have been limited and door-to-door fundraising is difficult without adequate resources.
Political statements have added to the spotlight on the project, including a controversial claim by a suspended Trinamool MP about building a “Babri masjid-style” structure in Murshidabad and a recent remark by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggesting Jawaharlal Nehru once supported government-funded reconstruction of the Babri mosque.
Despite the noise, the IICF maintains that it is waiting only for key approvals before it can set a formal construction timeline for the Dhannipur mosque.
