Ram Temple in Ayodhya: symbol of power and controversy in Modi's India

01-06-24

The city of Ayodhya, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is now home to the newly inaugurated Ram Temple, a site of great religious and political significance. Visitors to the temple must remove their shoes and leave their electronic belongings behind before joining the throngs of devotees making their way to the entrance.

The temple, built of pink sandstone, stands as an impressive monument. At the entrance, parishioners raise their arms and exclaim, “Glory to the god Ram!”. Inside the inner chamber, a statue of the deity Ram, intensely revered by Hindus, is on display. This black statue is decorated with jewels and wreaths of flowers, enhancing its spiritual importance.

However, the Ram temple has a history marked by violent religious conflicts. Its construction began in 2020, following a controversial Supreme Court decision that allowed building on the site of the former 16th century Babri Masjid mosque. This mosque was demolished in 1992 by a mob of Hindu radicals, sparking a wave of violence that left around 2,000 people dead, mostly Muslims.

In January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration of the temple in a ceremony attended by 7,000 guests, including prominent Bollywood actors, sportsmen and spiritual leaders. The opposition criticized the government for breaking with the secularism established in the constitution and fomenting sectarian division for electoral purposes. The inauguration of the Ram Temple has been one of the main victories of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The recent elections recorded a massive turnout, with more than 970 million people called to vote. Exit polls indicated that Modi's allies would win more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament. The opposition, which questioned the polls, would get between 125 and 182 seats.

The temple receives between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors daily, significantly increasing religious tourism in Ayodhya, a city of 2.5 million people. However, the BJP's promotion of the Hindu agenda has come under fire. Human rights organizations have denounced a growing harassment of minorities in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu and Muslims account for 14.2%.

The conflicts around the Ram Temple date back to 1949, when a group of Hindus placed sculptures of their faith inside the Babri Masjid mosque. After the mosque was demolished, both communities filed numerous lawsuits for possession of the site. In 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the site exclusively to Hindus and ordered that an alternative site in Ayodhya be granted to the Muslim community.

The religious and political tensions surrounding the Ram Temple reflect the complex social and religious fabric of India. While some believers celebrate the construction of the temple as a victory for their faith, others lament the loss of a historic site and the rise of religious intolerance. In the midst of this conflict, the Ram Temple continues to attract crowds of worshippers, each with their own interpretation of what this sacred site means.

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