The Babri mosque, destroyed by hardline Hindus in 1992

The differences follow the release of a report compiled by a team of Indian Government archaeologists excavating at Ayodhya, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The team, from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), was ordered to excavate the site to help clarify a bitter dispute between Hindus and Muslims about whether a Hindu temple should be built at the site.

Hindu hardliners destroyed a Muslim mosque at the site in 1992, triggering widescale rioting that left more than 2,000 people dead.

Hindu pleasure

The ASI team submitted their final report to the high court in the state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday. It will not comment on its findings.

But on Monday the court distributed the report to interested parties.

The report says there is "archaeological evidence of a massive structure" below ground where the Babri mosque was demolished 11 years ago.

And it says the structure bears distinctive features associated with ancient temples of northern India.

It says there is evidence of building work there from as far back as the 10th century.

Hindu groups have expressed pleasure at the report's findings and say it will strengthen their case to have a Hindu temple built at the site.

Hindu lawyer Ranjana Agnihotri said the report "describes a 10th or 11th century structure that indicates a temple existed in the excavated site," she told the AFP news agency.

But Muslims say the report offers no proof that the building was one built for Hindu worship.

A Muslim lawyer, Zafaryab Jilani, has already said he will lodge an objection.

He told the BBC the ASI "has misinterpreted the findings".

He accused the ASI of working under the pressure of the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main party in the central government.

The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in Uttar Pradesh says the ASI report may bring the Ayodhya temple dispute back to the centre of Indian politics.

General elections are due to be held next year.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee recently said a Hindu temple would be built at the site.