Photo credit, handout from Press Information Office/EPAEFE/REX/Shutterstock
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Temple ceremony in Ayodhya this Monday (January 22)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a large temple for the Hindu god Ram in the city of Ayodhya this Monday (January 22) a project that divided religious groups in the country and provoked criticism from opposition politicians.
The temple dubbed the “Hindu Vatican” by Hindu nationalist leaders replaces a 16thcentury mosque that was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, leading to riots in which nearly 2,000 people died (more on that below) .
The construction of the temple to the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya fulfills a promise to Hindu nationalists. Many Hindus believe that the mosque at this site was built by Muslim invaders on the ruins of a temple where the Hindu god was born.
In the 1990s, the movement to build the temple helped bring Modi's nationalist BJP party onto the national political stage. Before the movement, the party had little national expression.
The temple will open to the public on Tuesday (Jan 23) and its management expects 100,000 visitors per day in the next few months. The opening ceremony was characterized by the presence of prominent personalities and great press coverage. Some states declared a holiday and the Indian stock exchange was closed.
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Covering an area of 30,000 m2, covered in sandstone and anchored in granite, the sanctuary will have three floors
In a speech on Monday, Modi said the temple signaled “a new era” for India.
“A nation that rises up by breaking the mentality of slavery creates a new history,” Modi said. “January 22, 2024 is not just a date on the calendar, but heralds the beginning of a new era. It is Ram’s highest blessings that we are experiencing.”
The construction of the temple marks the fulfillment of a BJP promise and signals the government's strong commitment to the Hindus, who are the country's largest religion.
However, some Hindu spiritual leaders and most opposition figures boycotted the temple's inauguration, saying Modi was using the event for political purposes.
Critics also accuse the government of exploiting a religious festival in a country that is constitutionally secular. For Muslims, India's largest minority, the event awakens fear and painful memories.
For some critics, Modi is sharpening the tone of Hindu nationalism viewed with concern by other religious minorities on the eve of the election.
Next, read the report by Soutik Biswas, BBC India correspondent.
On a particularly cold morning, Yogendra Guru appeared lost in a maze of cars after visiting the makeshift, heavily guarded shrine where Hindus believe the Hindu god Ram was born.
The background was the intensive work of building a huge center for receiving pilgrims with arched sandstone gates and a wide corridor leading to a large temple to the Hindu deity worth US$217 million (or more than R1 billion $) leads.
A multibillion dollar renovation destroyed parts of Ayodhya to make it a new temple.
Guru, accompanied by two dozen family members, took a tiring 14hour bus ride. They left the village where they live in Morena district of the central state of Madhya Pradesh to undertake the pilgrimage to Ayodhya.
“I am delighted that we are finally getting a new temple. It feels like Hindus have awakened and experienced a sense of freedom. I think we were oppressed before,” he told me.
The construction of the temple was a decadesold promise to Hindu nationalists. It replaces a 16thcentury mosque at one of India's most controversial religious sites.
In 1992, a group of Hindus demolished the Babri Mosque, claiming it was built by Muslim invaders on the ruins of a Ram temple. Protests broke out across the country and almost 2,000 people died.
The dispute between Hindus and Muslims over ownership of the site ended in 2019 when the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus, although it clearly stated that the demolition of the mosque was a “flagrant violation of the rule of law.”
The court granted Muslims another piece of land in Ayodhya for building a mosque.
Modi inaugurated the Ayodhya temple months before India's general election, with his BJP party aiming for a record third straight term. He says the new temple will “unite the nation.” Minister Rajnath Singh believes the shrine will “mark the beginning of India’s cultural renaissance and restore national pride.”
Critics say the timing of the opening is more about political strategy than religious significance, creating a Hindu nationalist moment ahead of voting intention polls. And they remember that the movement to build a temple was a major factor that gave the BJP a prominent position in Indian politics.
“After spending his life in a tent, Lord Ram has now found a rightful abode. It was a test of patience for all of us,” said Satyendra Das, the 86yearold religious leader at the head of the makeshift shrine, where an image of Ram has been placed for the past three decades.
The new temple is as grand as can be. Spanning 2.9 hectares in a 28hectare complex, the imposing threestory structure is clad in pink sandstone and anchored in black granite, features imposing columns and rests on 6,503 m² of pristine white marble. An approximately 1.30 meter tall image of the ram is placed on a marble base.
Only the ground floor was opened. By the end of the year, the temple is expected to receive 150,000 visitors per day, seven times more than today.
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The new Ayodhya airport
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And a big train station
The Modi government is seeking to transform Ayodhya, a quiet pilgrimage town on the banks of the Saryu, a tributary of the Ganges, into a “worldclass city where people come as pilgrims and tourists.”
The US$3.85 billion (R19 billion) renovation includes road expansion, a new airport, a massive train station and a multistory parking garage.
More than 3,000 houses, shops and “structures of a religious nature” were demolished in whole or in part to allow for the widening of four major roads, including the newly named 13kmlong Ram Path leading to the temple. A light yellow coat of paint now gives buildings a uniform appearance.
Hotel chains like Radisson and Taj are building new properties; 50 new hotels and homestays are part of the project, and dozens of guest houses are being renovated. Not surprisingly, property prices have already tripled.
“You can’t recognize the place, it’s changed so much. There is actually a mix of shock and awe at everything that has happened,” said Valay Singh, author of Ayodhya: City of Faith, City of Discord. , City of Discord, in free translation), who has been visiting the city since 2016.
There are also plans for additional attractions around the new temple, including a walk of 162 murals depicting the life of Ram, an installation on an island in the Saryu River offering “views of Vedic civilization” and the creation of a Wedding etc. Development of the place as a natural healing center.
“We want to create the most beautiful city in the world,” says Ayodhya official Gaurav Dayal.
Credit, BIMAL THANKACHAN
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More than 3,000 residential or commercial buildings were completely or partially demolished to make road expansion possible
Credit, Bimal Thankachan
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Half of the house, which had been in the Vishal Pandey family for generations, was demolished to allow for the development of a road
Faith is present in every aspect of life in Ayodhya, where temples loom like sentinels over a crowded skyline and monks walk the streets.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the city at least twice a year. Monkeys, ubiquitous, run wild. The bazaars are teeming with street vendors selling religious items: flowers, sandalwood, devotional books, replicas of deities.
A “fragile, pilgrimdependent economy,” describes Singh.
On her first visit to the city, Disha Chakraborty, a science student from Shillong in northeast India, told me: “This place is in ruins, let’s be honest. But that doesn't matter, people are so committed. So many did.” put their collective faith in an idol.
But in this city with a few thousand large and small temples and more than 45 mosques, festivals and fairs, a change is underway that combines the old with the new.
In addition to tattoo parlors and food stalls, Ayodhya has a restaurant called Dark Cloud and a salon called Stylish Chand Men's Parlor that offers a variety of haircuts and styles.
Laser shows light up the sky as night falls. The place is full of YouTubers and Instagram influencers trying to make the place “trend”.
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Shakila Bano makes a garland of marigold flowers in her home: The economy of the Ayodhya temple depends partly on Muslims
Inspired by faith, tradition and curiosity, millions of devotees and tourists are expected to come to Ayodhya after the inauguration of the new temple. But there is room for dissatisfaction. The initiative to expand Pilgrim Street left a trail of bulldozed homes and businesses running through the city.
Anand Kumar Gupta, head of a local shopkeepers' association, says around 1,600 of them “have been displaced and have nowhere to go.” And he says people received an average of 100,000 rupees ($1,200) for repairs. “This reconstruction has hindered us,” he said.
On an everexpanding pilgrimage route, about three dozen houses belonging to people who work in the city's temples have been partially demolished. Leaking pipes cause the street to overflow with sewage. Shaky bamboo bridges stretch precariously over muddy ditches that pierce the ground outside the doors. The homeowners received land that was far away.
Vishal Pandey said half of the sixbedroom house, which had been in his family for generations, was demolished to widen the road.
Despite compensation of around US$8,400 (R40,000) for the affected party, the effects are irreversible, he added.
“There is anger among residents,” Pandey told me. “But we are also happy that Ram is finally getting a permanent home. He was in a tent for so long. Now it’s our turn (to mourn).”
“Where there is destruction, there is development. Lets see what happens.”
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Ayodhya's bazaars are teeming with street vendors selling religious souvenirs
Kanti Devi, who lost half her house, is more succinct.
“We are not happy at all,” she says. “Even the officials come and tell us that they are causing us a lot of pain. It is good that the temple was built, but how does it help us? Whatever we built, they destroyed it to bring more pilgrims to the city.”
Officials say residents of demolished homes and businesses have received financial compensation and new homes from government programs.
“All compensation has been paid. In some cases, payment is delayed due to legal disputes involving family disputes. There is nothing left to do now,” says Dayal.
In many ways, people who came from outside have shaped the fate of Ayodhya, where Hindus and Muslims have long lived in mixed neighborhoods. This has persisted despite destruction and an attack on the local Muslim community in December 1992, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 18 Muslims and the burning of their homes. The city became a focus of religious violence.
“We have moved on. However, these events continue to cause us pain,” said Khaliq Ahmed Khan, a social worker.
Khan believes that Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya enjoyed warm relations based on centuriesold interdependence. “The Hindu devotion to Ram is closely linked to the support of Muslims, particularly in the temple economy, where their trade plays a crucial role. The two communities are inseparable.”
This opinion is echoed by Raghuvansh Mani, a local university professor: “The sectarian conflict came from outside; local people are minimally involved.” Some residents share a similar opinion that outsiders are determining their fate while the new temple is meant to open Ayodhya to the world.
“Only time will tell,” says Pandey.