But in its compromise ruling, the court gave Hindus control over the area where the now-demolished Babri Mosque stood — and where a makeshift tent-shrine to the Hindu deity Ram now rests.
While both Muslim and Hindu lawyers vowed to appeal, immediate reaction to the ruling was muted and it seemed unlikely to spark violence, as the government had feared.
Hindus rushed to give thanks at temples in Ayodhya, where the atmosphere was peaceful. "It is very clear the case will go to the Supreme Court. It is not our final victory," said Nitya Gopal Das, president of a Hindu trust involved in the suit.
In Lucknow, where the decision was read, shops were closed, streets were deserted and police were on patrol.
And in Mumbai — a flash point for previous Hindu-Muslim violence over the temple dispute — Hindu and Muslim groups appealed for peace. "We hope all problems regarding matters with Hindus and Muslims can be settled in this amicable way," said Haji Arfat, a leader of the Hindu fundamentalist Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
The chief minister of Gujarat state, which has seen some of India's worst religious riots, welcomed the ruling as clearing the path for building the Ram temple. "The judgment will also act as a catalytic agent in strengthening the country's unity," said Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister in 2002 when Hindu mobs rampaged through Muslim neighborhoods in riots that left about 1,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. Those riots were triggered by a fire that killed 60 passengers on a train packed with Hindu pilgrims.
Over 2,000 people were killed in 1992 when Hindu fanatics razed the Babri Mosque built at the site in 1528 by the Mogul Emperor Babur. Hindus claim the site is the birthplace of Ram, and that a temple to the deity once stood there before the mosque.
They want to build a new, enormous temple to Ram, while the Muslims want to rebuild the mosque.
The ruling Thursday would almost certainly force both groups to scale down those plans.
The Allahabad High Court ruling said the site should be shared, with the Muslim community getting control of one-third and two Hindu groups splitting the remainder, including where the mosque once stood.
Archaeological evidence, the court said, showed that a temple predated the mosque. "The majority ruled that the location of the makeshift temple is the birthplace of Ram, and this spot cannot be shifted," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a lawyer for one of the Hindu groups involved in the case.
The court said the site should retain its current status for the next three months to allow for the land to be peacefully measured and divided.
Zaffaryab Jilani, a lawyer for the Muslim community, said he would appeal the verdict, which could delay a final decision in the 60-year-old case for years. "It's not a victory or defeat for any party. It's a step forward. We hope this matter will be resolved," he said, though he also said he was "partly disappointed."
H.S. Jain, one of the Hindu plaintiffs, said he also would appeal. "100 percent of the land belongs to Hindus. Why split it?" he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for calm, as the government extended its ban on bulk texting to stop people from sending mass cell phone messages that could incite violence.
