Synopsis The destruction of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in December 1992 is a watershed in the politics of independent India. This book narrates how Ayodhya's inhabitants experienced the events that led up to and followed the destruction. It argues that the chain of events they describe is the end-product of a century's efforts to convert Hindus into a 'proper' modern nation and a conventional ethnic majority. Woven into the narrative is an analysis of the culture of communal conflict, the nature of organized mass violence, and the political psychology of Hindu nationalism.