LUCKNOW, Dec 6: The 12th anniversary of the demolition of a historic mosque in the north Indian temple town of Ayodhya passed off peacefully, police said, with Hindus and Muslims holding low key functions to mark the day.

"The day was completely peaceful," said Binod Kumar Singh, a senior police official in Ayodhya. Pilgrims visiting the temple town, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu warrior god Ram, were fewer on Monday than usual days, he said.

Police official Mr Singh said the Muslims held two events on Monday morning to mark the day while the hardline Hindu group, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP, World Hindu Council) held its meeting later.

"Our meeting carried on for two hours and there were 1,200 people," said Sharad Sharma, spokesman for the VHP. Security was stepped up around the site of the 1992 mosque demolition.

The Hindus celebrate the day as 'Valour Day' while the Muslims mourn it as 'Black Day'," said Ayodhya's police superintendent S.S. Baghel. Reports said Muslims kept their shops closed and wore black badges as a mark of protest.

Special prayers were held in the local mosques for reconstruction of the Babri mosque, the Press Trust of India news agency said. In New Delhi, 200-300 Muslims demonstrated near the parliament building to demand rebuilding of the mosque.

In Chinai, about 1,000 volunteers of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) were taken into custody after demonstrating to protest the mosque demolition, police said.

They were later let off, TMMK general secretary, S Hyder Ali said. The issue also generated heated arguments on Monday in the lower house of parliament with opposition BJP and ruling coalition members trading accusations over the demolition. -AFP