Indian PM opens controversial temple in grand event ahead of national polls
Nearly 7,500 people, including the country’s most elite industrialists, politicians and movie stars, watched the ritual on a giant screen outside the temple as a military helicopter showered petals.
Tuesday 23 January 2024 | 15:00
Prime Minister Narednra Modi in the rituals inside the newly-built Ram temple in Ayodya.
Ayodya: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday opened a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historical mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya, delivering on a crucial Hindu nationalist pledge his ruling party hopes will catapult him to a record third successive term in upcoming elections.
The inauguration of the temple, which is still under construction, is dedicated to Hinduism’s Lord Ram and fulfills a long-standing demand made by millions of Hindus who worship the revered deity.
Modi’s party and other Hindu nationalist groups who seized on this demand have portrayed the temple as central to their vision of reclaiming India’s Hindu pride they say was shadowed by centuries of Mughal rule and British colonialism.
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Workers decorate a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Rama with flowers on the eve of the temple’s grand opening in Ayodhya, India on January 21, 2024. Photo: AP
