The mood in Dhannipur, a village in Ayodhya, chosen for the 'Babri Masjid'

A village outside Ayodhya city has been identified as the 'prominent' site for a mosque to replace the Babri Masjid. Is anyone excited? Ritwik Sharma finds out. Photos by Sanjay K Sharma

Until 10 days ago, the people of Dhannipur had no inkling that the replacement for the demolished Babri Masjid would be in their backyard. Now, they are getting used to media attention and are welcoming, with cautious optimism, the prospect of hosting a shrine that may put the village on the international map.

Mohammad Shamim, a 70-year-old farmer, is hopeful of an end to the communal strife that flared up after the Babri Masjid — a 16th-century mosque said to be built on the orders of the Mughal emperor Babur — was razed by karsevaks in December 1992. “This is