In the east, there was a strong sense of being Bengali, and a sizeable Hindu minority continued to live in the province.

The court judgment gives two thirds of the disputed site to two Hindu organizations, and one third to Muslims, which suggests a solution that might permit the construction of both a mosque and a temple on the same site.

Although established as a unitary Hindu kingdom, with politics directed from the Himalayan foothills, today around half the population live in the fertile southern plains and more than one third are from over 50 indigenous, largely non Hindu communities.

The court judgment gives two thirds of the disputed site to two Hindu organizations, and one third to Muslims, which suggests a solution that might permit the construction of both a mosque and a temple on the same site. The court s decision thus is an affirmation of Indian pluralism and of the rule of law.