Hindu activists continue to pray for a temple at Ayodhya

Prayers were said in the town of Godhra, where 58 Hindus were burned alive when their train was torched, allegedly by a Muslim mob.

The days of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of non-violence are gone Praven Togadia VHP leader

In retaliatory riots which followed, more than 1,000 people died, most of them Muslims - independent groups place the figure closer to 2,000.

"We're creating a situation in Gujarat by which no one will dare attack Hindus again," one right-wing leader told a rally in Ahmedabad, the state's commercial capital, on Thursday.

Praven Togadia, who heads the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP, World Hindu Council) said: "The days of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of non-violence are gone."

Many of those aboard the train were believed to be activists returning from the disputed religious site at Ayodhya where Hindu groups had destroyed the Babri mosque 10 years earlier.

Mr Togadia vowed to press ahead with plans to build a temple at the site.

Tight security

Only a handful of people turned out to hear the VHP leader speak in Godhra. Many more were present in Ahmedabad.

Across Gujarat, Muslim and Hindu places of worship spent Thursday under tight security.

Muslims observed a day of mourning and train and bus stations were under heavy police guard to reduce the chance of trouble.

Many Hindus ignored a call to hold a one-day strike, while shops in Muslim areas remained open.

Police have been investigating the train attack for the past year and have since charged more than 130 Muslims, many of whom are being held in jail awaiting trial.

Violence 'planned'

At the time, Gujarat's chief minister, Narendra Modi, described the anti-Muslim riots which followed the Godhra attack as a "natural reaction".

The riots left devastation in Gujarat

Subsequent reports on the killings by human rights and non-government groups criticised him for failing to stop the violence.

A British Government report obtained by the BBC said the violence was planned months before by right-wing Hindu groups and had all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing.

It also accused Mr Modi of being directly responsible.

Despite such allegations, no action was taken against Mr Modi.

He is a member of the BJP, the pro-Hindu party leading the central government coalition.

National BJP leaders publicly praised Mr Modi's performance. He went on to contest and win state elections for the BJP and is still chief minister.

Many Muslims who lost homes, property and relatives in the violence say they still have not received compensation they were promised.

Many people were made homeless by the riots

The scale and brutality of the riots were greeted with horror by the international community and raised fears that India's Hindu right might be embarking on a new, more anti-Muslim and nationalist agenda.

Hashim Qureshi, a Muslim lawyer and rights activist in Godhra, has questioned the government's use of new anti-terrorism laws against those charged with the original Godhra attack.

"The government has committed a breach of trust by misusing the law. The accused have not waged a war against India," he said.