Renowned archaeologist Professor Braj Basi Lal, who led a excavation team at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan - India's second highest civilian honour.

Professor B B Lal, the renowned archaeologist had in his book Rama, His Historicity, Mandir and Setu said that there is a presence of a temple-like structure beneath the now-demolished Babri Masjid.

"Attached to the piers of the Babri Masjid, there were twelve stone pillars, which carried not only typical Hindu motifs and mouldings, but also figures of Hindu deities. It was self-evident that these pillars were not an integral part of the Masjid, but were foreign to it", Professor Lal wrote in his book.

Lal, along with K K Muhammed and three others had excavated the Ram Janmabhoomi site in 1976-77 and Muhammed too corroborated that they found the presence of a temple below the Babri Masjid.

Besides his work on the Ramayana sites, Professor Lal has worked on the archaeology of the Indus Valley civilisation and Mahabharata sites, including Hastinapura.

The discoveries of many Painted Grey Ware sites in the Gangetic plain can also be attributed to him and his teams. He is also widely published in national and international scientific journals. He has been Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, and had received the Padma Bhushan in 2000.