MODI LEADS INAUGURATION OF RAM TEMPLE IN NORTHERN INDIA
▶ Divisive structure occupies site of 16th century mosque demolished by nationalists in 1992
Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi inaugurated the Ram Temple in Ayodhya yesterday, fulfilling a long-standing election promise of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr Modi presided over a three-hour consecration ceremony performed by Hindu priests in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
It was broadcast live on staterun and private television stations in India.
A statue of Hindu deity Rama, depicted as a child, weighing 200kg and standing about 2.5 metres tall, was installed last week in the main sanctum of the multimillion-dollar temple. This is still under construction and is due to be complete by December.
Mr Modi, who fasted for 11 days before the inauguration, arrived at the temple by helicopter.
Wearing traditional attire and carrying offerings, he walked barefoot to the main sanctum. He sat beside the priests as they performed the rituals and unveiled the idol.
“Lord Rama has arrived after centuries of wait … Our Lord Rama will not live in a tent. He will live in this grand temple,” Mr Modi said in a speech after the inauguration.
“This is a legacy of our centuries of patience … This is not a normal moment. This is a moment of etching indelible lines on the circle of time.”
He urged people of all faiths to celebrate the day as if it were Diwali, the annual festival of lights dedicated to Rama.
Alongside Mr Modi sat Mohan Bhagwat, the head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological forerunner.
The RSS has pushed for a temple to be built at the site for decades, believing it to be the birthplace of Rama, despite a 16th-century mosque already existing in the same place.
More than 7,000 people, including high-ranking officials, film and sports stars, business tycoons and 100 dignitaries from 55 countries attended the consecration ceremony.
There was heavy security in and around the temple, where tens of thousands of devotees had gathered.
Many were seen standing on the rooftops of nearby buildings and waving saffron yellow flags, a colour associated with Hinduism and India’s Hindu nationalist parties. Others danced to drum beats, blew into conch shells – a sound associated with prayer ceremonies – and let off fireworks.
Indian Air Force helicopters were seen showering petals over the temple early yesterday, and Ayodhya was decked with saffron flags and marigold.
The federal government declared a half-day for its employees, including at India’s premier health centre in New Delhi, while several states announced a holiday for banks and educational institutions.
Despite India being an officially secular country, most Indians are religious, and the overwhelming majority identify as Hindus.
The construction of the temple is expected to boost the BJP’s image and further cement its position as it looks to clinch a third term in elections set to take place early this year.
But the inauguration has also been beset by controversy, with some religious leaders refusing to attend the ceremony in protest against consecrating the temple before construction is complete.
Opposition political parties have also questioned the rush to open the temple, accusing Mr Modi of using the inauguration as a ploy to win votes.
Another controversy stems from the fact that the Ram Temple has been built on the site of the Babri Masjid, which was demolished by a crowd of Hindu nationalists in December 1992 during a rally organised by the BJP and other right-wing groups. More than 150,000 Hindus joined the rally, while police barricaded the structure. By noon, a group of rally participants stormed the barricades and scaled the mosque.
They demolished it with shovels, pickaxes and sticks, destroying it within five hours.
The demolition sparked religious violence across the country, during which about 2,000 people were killed, mostly Muslims.
An idol of Rama was kept in a tent at the site after the mosque was demolished, and the BJP has always promised to build a temple at the location in its election manifestos.
Critics have said Mr Modi’s public involvement in the religious event goes against India’s secular identity as laid down in its constitution, and have called the grandiose ceremony a vulgarisation of the religion in a secular nation.
About 80 per cent of India’s 1.4 billion people follow Hinduism. Islam is the biggest minority religion, with more than 200 million worshippers. The country is also home to Christians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and a Jewish community.
However, since coming to power in 2014, Mr Modi’s government has often been accused by opponents of espousing the cause of Hindutva, a right-wing ideology based on Hindu supremacy.
Many have voiced fears that if Mr Modi and the BJP strengthen their grip on power, they will shift their focus to simmering religious disputes in a bid to polarise Indian society.
The Prime Minister, however, has brushed aside those apprehensions, calling the temple a symbol of harmony and peace in the country.
“Some people are saying the temple will trigger fire in the country. But Ram Lalla temple is a symbol of peace, patience, harmony and solidarity,” said Mr Modi.
“This temple will not give birth to any fire, but energy. It will give inspiration to every person in the society to walk towards the path of a bright future.”
This temple will not give birth to any fire, but energy. It will give inspiration to every person in the society
NARENDRA MODI Indian Prime Minister