A year after the Godhra train carnage that triggered months of communal violence across Gujarat, saffron outfits on Thursday held prayers and took out rallies for peace amid tight security across the state.

The outfits also used the incident's first anniversary as a platform to step up the campaign for temple construction in Ayodhya.

The anniversary passed of peacefully amidst deployment of policemen and paramilitary personnel in strength, especially in communally sensitive areas of the state, police sources said.

Sangh Parivar affiliates organised prayer meetings, yagnas and took out prabhat pheris (rallies) in Gujarat to remember the 59 karsevaks who perished when the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express from Ayodhya was set on fire in Godhra on February 27 last year.

Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders, including Praveen Togadia and Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Godhra Haresh Bhatt, took part in a shanti path and shanti yagna at Godhra's Lalbagh Tikri ground. Togadia also visited the ill-fated S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express.

Addressing a rally in Vadodara later in the day, Togadia urged the Muslim community to hand over possession of premises in Ayodhya, Kashi and Hura to the VHP for temple construction. He said if this demand was conceded the VHP would not press for possession of such premises in other parts of the country.

"The temple should be constructed for respecting wishes of karsevaks who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the temple, " he said.

A bandh called by Shiv Sena evoked partial response in Godhra, with the majority Hindu community members downing shutters, while the minority Muslim community members kept their shops open.