It has been over 25 days since the Supreme Court began daily hearings in the Ram-Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute. A five-judge Constitution bench is attempting to answer who owns the disputed Ayodhya site which is believed to be the birthplace of lord Ram and which is where the Babri Masjid stood before it was demolished in 1992.

A lot of the arguments in the Ayodhya case are on dry legal issues of limitation, property rights and legal status of parties. But some documents being shown to the Supreme Court and some of the arguments made during the case have been highlights of the last 26 days.

TEXTS TO PORE THROUGH

From ancient religious texts to Archaeological Survey of India reports of digs conducted in Ayodhya in the 1980-1990s, the Supreme Court has been asked to go through piles of documentary evidence to prop up the rival claims to the disputed site.

Here are some of the documents presented in the Supreme Court and what the different sides have cited from them to further their arguments:

ANCIENT/MEDIEVAL PERIOD

Valmiki Ramayana: The Janmabhoomi is where Vishnu chose to descend in his Ram avatar after the devatas asked him to kill Ravan.

Skanda Purana: Provides a description of the holy city of Ayodhya and the rituals of worship in the city as well as pilgrimages to the site.

Vashista Samhita: Mentions 7 places of pilgrimage in Ayodhya and mentions Ayodhya as a place of 'salvation'.

Travelogue of Chinese Traveller Fa Xien from 400 AD: Mentions pilgrimages to the ancient city of 'Ayuta' from Kanauj.

Travelogue of Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hiuen Tsang from 600- 670 AD: Mentions the ancient city of Saketa -- capital of King Dasarata -- during reign of King Harsha.

Baburnama: No mention of a mosque but mentions city of Ayodhya. Says that Babur crossed the Sarayu river and reached Ayodhya.

Ain-i-Akbari: Mentions Lucknow as a city of recent origin and Ayodhya as one of the most sacred places of antiquity.

Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri: Traces the lineage of Jahangir and praises the work done and lands conquered. But does not mention a mosque being built in Ayodhya.

Travelogue of William Finch (English merchant of the East India Company) from 1608-1611: Mentions the worship of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. Does not mention the existence of a mosque.

Travelogues of Jesuit missionary Joseph Teifenthaler from 1740-1770: Mentions several buildings on the south bank of the Sarayu river built in the memory of Lord ram. Mentions locals who believe that the house where Ram was born was demolished by Aurangzeb or Babur. Mentions the belief in a 'cradle' of Lord Ram that existed at the site.

MODERN PERIOD

Montgomery Martin survey report, 'History, antiquities, topography and statistics of Eastern India', from 1838: Report notes that the people of the area believed that after the death of Lord Ram and his descendants, the city of Ayodhya was abandoned. Mentions the belief that Fort of Ramghar and the Ram Janmabhoomi temple were reconstructed in the 1st century BCE by King Vikrama whose genealogy has links to Rama's dynasty. The destruction of the fort and Temple was attributed to the invasion of Babur by local Hindus. Black stones have been found in the area with traces of broken images, said to be of Hindu Gods.

Gazetteer of Territories of the East India Company from 1854: Notes that on the banks of the river Sarayu are ruins said to be of the Court of Rama, King of Ayodhya, hero of the Ramayana and highly celebrated in the mythological and romantic traditions of India.

Archaeological Survey of India reports from 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865 by Alexander Cunningham: Mention pilgrimages to Ayodhya. Tlaks about "oldest inscribed coins' found in Ayodhya, mentions lineage of King Dasarata.

Cunningham report from 1864: Mentions the belief that Ayodhya of Rama was destroyed in 1500 BC and remained desolate till King Vikramaditya rebuilt the city half a century before the birth of Christ. Vikramaditya rebuilt 368 temples at the site including the place where Ram was born and the place where Ram died. The ruins are surrounded by Muslim tombs.

Carneige Report on Eastern India from 1869: Mentions locals' belief that Ayodhya of Ram was destroyed after the death of his descendant Brihadritha in 1400 BCE and was rebuilt by King Vikramaditya.

AFTER THE TEXT, THE TALK

Apart from the rafts of the documents presented to the Supreme Court during the Ayodhya case hearings, what has also been a highlight during these hearings are some of the arguments put forth the lawyers and observations from the Court.

Advocate Sushil Jain for the Nirmohi Akhara: Hindu worshippers tried to enforce the right to worship in the 1850s, but after the British administration took over in 1855, the area was divided between Hindus and Muslims.

Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan for Ram Lala: Our approach to history is very different from European approach to history. They are more concerned about specifics and dates. We look at events and correlations. Justice SA Bobde: That's why we call it 'itihaas' -- this is how it came to pass. It's not focused on names and dates. Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan for Ram Lala: In the 15th, 16th century there was no reason to record dates. The records show that the faith of the people was there.

Justice SA Bobde: Is anyone from the Raghuvansh Dynasty still here? Does it still exist?

Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan for Ram Lala: The concept of bestowing legal identity to Hindu deities was developed in the 19th century British courts for tax purposes.

Supreme Court to Nirmohi Akhara: If you're talking about land records that you claim show the khasra number with your mahant's name listed as the owner, where are the land records? Nirmohi Akhara replies: In the land records this is Nazool land, but tax records show Nirmohi Akhara as having possession of the temple property. Supreme Court: Show us the tax records. Nirmohi Akhara: All records were lost after a robbery in 1982. We don't have the records any longer. They should be available in the government records. Supreme Court: The robbers stole the Khasra-Khatauni records?

Justice SA Bobde: Has any other court ever had to consider such a question about the place of birth of God or the Prophet or whether Jesus was born in Bethlehem or some similar questions about God? Have these arisen in any court in the world? Senior advocate K Parasaran for Ram Lalla: I do not know. Will have to check.

Justice DY Chandrachud: During the last two millenia we have seen civilisations settle and resettle on river banks. They have built upon pre-existing structures. How can you prove that the alleged ruins or the demolished building was religious in nature?

Rajeev Dhawan for Nirmohi Akhara: The Ghaggar river, which is a tributary of the Sarayu, is shown to have changed course at least twice in the last 500 years. How can you pinpoint a city on the banks of a river which has changed course?

Rajeev Dhawan for Nirmohi Akhara: Appearance of idols inside the mosque in 1949 was not a miracle but a planned surreptitious attack done in connivance with the officials managing the site.