Religious Celebration Ayodhya: Ayodhya Set for Grand Religious Celebration as Modi Inaugurates Ram Temple.
Religious Celebration Ayodhya: In Ayodhya, India, a magnificent temple dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Ram is set to open on Monday at a location believed by millions to be his birthplace. The inauguration is part of a religious ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, occurring just months before he aims for an uncommon third term in the upcoming elections.
The building of the temple has been a central promise of Prime Minister Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 35 years. It has also been a contentious political matter that played a crucial role in propelling the party to prominence and ultimately to power.
Hindu organizations are presenting the inauguration ceremony in the northern city of Ayodhya as the pinnacle of Hindu awakening, following centuries of perceived subjugation by Muslim and colonial powers.
The event is also perceived as the virtual commencement of the deeply religious leader Modi's re-election campaign for the upcoming general elections scheduled by May.
The temple site has been a source of intense dispute for decades, with both Hindus and Muslims asserting their claims to it. The location became a focal point for violence in 1992 when a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that previously stood there.
The majority of Hindus in India claim that the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram and has been considered holy to them since long before Muslim Mughals demolished a temple at the location and constructed the Babri Masjid or mosque in 1528.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hindus, granting them control of the land and directing the allocation of a separate plot for Muslims.
On Monday, Prime Minister Modi will participate in the concluding rituals to inaugurate the temple. Thousands of members from the BJP and its affiliated groups, along with religious leaders and devotees from across the country, are expected to gather in Ayodhya for the occasion.
Organizers have extended invitations to some of India's prominent business leaders, movie actors, and sports personalities for the consecration ceremony.
Religious Enthusiasm and Political Controversy
Prime Minister Modi expressed his role as a representative for all of India during the consecration, marking the beginning of 11 days of special rituals leading up to the inauguration. Describing it as a "historic moment," Modi encouraged Indians to light lamps in their homes and local temples on Monday evening, reminiscent of the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali.
Political commentator Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi noted that the consecration of the temple seemed more like the launch of a general election campaign than a religious ritual. Shobhi highlighted Modi's portrayal as an emperor undertaking a major ritual sacrifice.
The temple, situated on a 2.67-acre site within a 70-acre complex, has completed its first phase, with the second and final phase expected to conclude in December 2025. The project, estimated at 15 billion rupees ($181 million), is funded entirely by domestic donations.
The lead-up to the consecration has witnessed fervent emotions among Hindus, with residential areas and markets adorned with holy flags, organizing special prayers, and planning live telecasts of the event on giant screens. However, the inauguration has sparked political controversy, with major opposition parties, including the Congress, declining invitations, claiming it has become a political event for Modi.
Muslim groups, while not entirely content with the 2019 court verdict favoring Hindus, have accepted it "with humility." Nearly five years later, they indicated moving forward. Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, head of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation building a new mosque in Ayodhya, expressed acceptance of the temple construction following the Supreme Court's direction, without harboring ill will in the Muslim community.
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