Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi leads consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya

Modi unveiled the black stone idol to the deity Ram in the heart of the 50-metre (160-foot) temple

Modi leads consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple Monday (22) that embodies the triumph of his muscular Hindu nationalist politics, galvanising loyalists in an unofficial start to his re-election campaign this year.

Modi, in flowing golden-coloured traditional dress, unveiled the black stone idol to the deity Ram in the heart of the 50-metre (160-foot) temple, built on grounds where a mosque stood for centuries before it was torn down in 1992 by Hindu zealots incited by members of his party.


That demolition triggered the worst religious riots since independence -- killing 2,000 people, most of them Muslims -- and shook the foundations of India's officially secular political order.

Outside, tens of thousands of chanting and dancing devotees waving flags, honking horns and beating drums, packed the streets of the northern town of Ayodhya, as military helicopters showered flower petals from the sky.

Few members of Ayodhya's Muslim community were seen joining the jubilant street party, and opposition leaders are reported to have stayed away.

But for Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opening of the Ram Mandir temple is a landmark moment in a decades-long campaign to align the country's governance with its majority faith.

"The Lord has made me an instrument to represent all the people of India," Modi said ahead of the "auspicious" opening, as he prayed at the feet of the human-sized statue, garlanded in flowers and draped in jewels.

Excitement has reached a fever pitch, with thousands of Hindu believers dancing in packed streets as giant loudspeakers blast out religious tunes.

Vijay Kumar, 18, took four days to reach the town after walking and hitchhiking 600 kilometres (370 miles).

"We just wanted to be here," Kumar said. "We just wish to see the temple before we leave."

modi india ramtemple ayodhya Narendra Modi leads the rituals at the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, in Ayodhya. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwant is also present. (ANI Photo)

About 2,500 musicians are performing on over 100 stages for the crowds of pilgrims around the elaborate temple, built at an estimated $240 million that the project's backers say was sourced from public donations.

The 140 kilometres (87 miles) between the town and Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow is a seemingly endless stream of billboards of blue-skinned Ram with bow and arrow -- as well as of Modi and the region's chief minister, the saffron-robed Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath.

"It's all because of Modi," said Prem Sharan, 35, a resident of Ayodhya. "Some critics say that it is being turned into an election-like atmosphere; so be it. At least they are doing what they promised and one needs the power to do things for the people."

Other attendees jetted into the newly built international airport and will stay at a crop of hotels built to cater to the millions of pilgrims expected to visit each year.

Among the celebrity guests due at the opening are Indian tycoons, former national cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood titan Amitabh Bachchan.

Modi and the BJP have sought to bring the Hindu faith to the forefront of public life since sweeping to power a decade ago.

Party luminaries regularly condemn earlier eras of Islamic rule over parts of India as a time of "slavery" when their own religion was oppressed, with Ayodhya a key plank in their narrative.

GettyImages 1940926889 A general view of a temple to Hindu deity Ram on the eve of its consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 21, 2024. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Devout Hindus believe Ram, one of the most revered Hindu gods, was born in the town more than 7,000 years ago, but that the Babri mosque was built over his birthplace by a 16th-century Muslim emperor.

The BJP played an instrumental role in public campaigning that eventually led to the mosque's demolition.

The destruction presaged the rise of the BJP and Modi as unstoppable electoral juggernauts, displacing the secularist Congress party that had governed India almost without interruption since independence from Britain.

Modi's consecration of the temple alongside Hindu priests will again project him as a defender of the faith ahead of a general election expected to begin in April.

The BJP is heavily favoured to win a third successive landslide victory, in part because of Modi's appeals to Hindu nationalism, and opposition parties are boycotting the temple ceremony, saying the event will be a thinly veiled campaign rally.

But many of India's 200 million Muslims, already anxious in a climate of increased sectarian tensions, have watched the clamour around the temple with trepidation.

Mohammed Shahid, 52, speaking to AFP last month in Ayodhya, recounted how his father was burned alive by a mob.

"For me, the temple symbolises nothing but death and destruction", he said.

(AFP)

More For You

UK houses

The government says the plan will accelerate housing development, create jobs, and contribute to economic growth.

Getty Images

Taskforce to develop thousands of homes on public land

THE GOVERNMENT has launched a taskforce to unlock thousands of homes on surplus public land, with defence sites leading a new approach to development.

The initiative aims to remove barriers to housing projects and support the target of delivering 1.5 million homes by the next parliament.

Keep ReadingShow less
Girl denies targeting Bhim Kohli before fatal park attack
Bhim Kohli. (Photo: Facebook)

Girl denies targeting Bhim Kohli before fatal park attack

A 13-year-old girl, who filmed part of a fatal attack on an elderly man, has denied that she used a photograph of the victim to “target” him before the assault.

The girl is currently on trial for the manslaughter of Bhim Kohli, an 80-year-old who was attacked in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, on 1 September last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
King’s College plants cherry tree to honour student killed in accident

Aalia Mahomed

King’s College plants cherry tree to honour student killed in accident

A VIGIL was held on Tuesday (25) at King’s College London to honour the memory of Aalia Mahomed, a 20-year-old student killed in a van collision near the Strand.

Friends, classmates, and staff gathered at the Strand Quad in a solemn ceremony, remembering Mahomed’s life and offering their support to her family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jonathan Reynolds hails role of faith at London Iftar reception

Jonathan Reynolds

Jonathan Reynolds hails role of faith at London Iftar reception

THE business and trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, paid tribute to the role of faith groups in the UK as he hosted an iftar reception in central London on Monday (24) evening.

Diplomats, community leaders, trade representatives and MPs attended the event as Reynolds hailed the contribution of British Muslims.

Keep ReadingShow less
Waste tyres from UK fuel dangerous 'cooking' plants in India: report

Tyres are heated to around 500°C in oxygen-free environments, extracting steel, oil, and carbon black in rural Indian facilities. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)

Waste tyres from UK fuel dangerous 'cooking' plants in India: report

MILLIONS of waste tyres from the UK are being shipped to India and processed in makeshift, unregulated furnaces, causing serious environmental damage and health risks to local communities, a BBC investigation has revealed.

The UK produces around 50 million waste tyres annually, with approximately half exported to India under the guise of recycling. However, investigations show that up to 70 per cent of these tyres end up in primitive industrial plants where they undergo a dangerous process called pyrolysis.

Keep ReadingShow less