Modi inaugurates giant Hindu temple

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a Hindu temple in the city of Ayodhya.

The giant temple is built on the remains of a mosque, which 30 years ago was razed by a million Hindus.

The huge construction in the city of Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been financed by Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, is estimated to have cost several hundred million dollars, writes AFP.

– January 22, 2024 is not just a date on the calendar, but the beginning of a new era, Modi said during his speech outside the temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Ram.

Tens of thousands of people, many dancing, waving flags and beating drums, had gathered on the city’s streets on Monday for the inauguration. A number of Bollywood stars and well-known cricketers also attended the inauguration.

Criticism of the ceremony

However, the ceremony was boycotted by parts of the Indian opposition, who claim that Modi is using the construction of the temple for political gain ahead of the elections held in the country in the next few months, writes the BBC.

80 percent of India’s population is Hindu, and Modi has managed to secure a broad power base in the country by referring to a kind of Indian nationalism with strong elements of Hinduism.

Criticism has also been leveled at the lavish religious ceremony – as India, according to its constitution, is secular.

Triggered riots

The construction of the huge temple in Ayodhya is also controversial, as it was built on the ruins of a mosque erected on the site in the 16th century.

In 1992, the mosque was destroyed by nearly a million Hindu activists – sparking widespread riots with religious overtones, in which 2,000 people were killed – most of them Muslims.

Despite criticism ahead of the inauguration, which was televised live and in many cinemas, Narendra Modi struck a unifying tone.

– God has made me a tool to represent all the people of India, he said.