India's worst Hindu-Muslim violence in nearly 10 years has hardened the resolve of thousands of Hindu activists gathered in this northern town to build a temple on the ruins of a razed mosque.

Vermillion streaks on their foreheads and saffron and yellow shawls around their shoulders, an estimated 11,000 determined Hindu fanatics are camped out in Ayodhya to pursue what they see as a mission of religious and national identity.

In defiance of numerous court orders, appeals from the central government and the presence of thousands of security personnel, they plan to force their way on March 15 to the rubble of the 16th-century Babri Mosque and start erecting a temple to the Hindu warrior god Ram.

The Babri Mosque was pulled down by Hindu zealots in December 1992, triggering Hindu-Muslim riots that claimed around 2,000 lives.

Three days of horrific sectarian violence that claimed more than 300 lives in the western state of Gujarat was sparked on Wednesday by a Muslim massacre of 58 train passengers -- most of them Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya.

For the devotees gathered here, violence seems little more than an occupational hazard.

"Now we have decided to die," said Laxmi

Das, who hails from Gujarat and whose commitment to the temple-building campaign has deepened as a result of the unrest in his home state.

"See, see this is my child. She is my wife and this is my other child. We will all die now if anyone comes in the way of the temple construction," Das said, pointing to the members of his family he had brought with him to Ayodhya.

"Now no power on earth can stop the temple," agreed Mahesh Bai, another Gujarati. "The Muslims will be taught a lesson."

The Hindu claim to the disputed site in Ayodhya is based on the historical assertion that the Babri Mosque was built by the Mughul emperor Babar over an earlier Ram temple.

The temple campaign is being led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP - World Hindu Organisation) -- a militant organisation known for stirring up sectarian hatred against India's religious minorities.

The VHP encampment in Ayodhya is a small marvel of organisation, with tents and food provided for all the Hindus gathered here.

The roads to the encampment are lined with colourful shops selling religious books, cassettes and clothes, while makeshift studios offer photographic souvenirs of the devotees' visit.

The music blaring from numerous cassette

shops leaves little doubt as to the allegiance of the customers they serve.

"Sons of Babar go back, we swear by Ram we will make the temple." "Clear all roads, in the name of Ram clear all roads, we are coming Ram" are two of the more popular numbers on offer.

Other keenly sought items are photographs of the Babri Mosque's destruction in 1992.

"Only five rupees sir, it has picture of the mosque coming down, in three stages," shouts a young boy running alongside the car of a potential customer.

The stereotype of the grassroots VHP foot soldier is that of a poor, uneducated villager. But not all fit the mould.

Gangadas Bhosle from the western state of Maharashtra is studying for his masters degree in Human Resource Management at Amravati University,

"Yes, I am educated. So what?" said Bhosle.

"Are people in America not educated? Still they go to church on Sundays. Are people in Islamic countries not educated? Still they go to mosque on Fridays.