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India's Controversial New Hindu Temple Unveiled
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January 22, 2024
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2:41Now PlayingIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration on Monday (January 22) of a grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram on a site believed to be his birthplace, in a historic event for the Hindu majority of the world's most populous nation. For decades, the site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there.
Hindus believe the site in the city of Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to be the birthplace of the god Lord Ram.
The unveiling of the Ramayana is a historic event for the Hindu majority of the world's most populous nation.
But it also acts as a reminder of some of its worst sectarian strife.
For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people.
Most of those who died were Muslims, after a radical Hindu mob destroyed the Babri mosque that had stood there since the sixteenth century.
Muslims in Ayodhya spoke of the hurt around the temple's erection.
“Everyone is carrying the grief of the mosque being demolished, each and every one of us is saddened by it. If you take someone’s home from them, they will be upset.”
“The pain of community has always been, and will always be there. If someone’s place of worship and their faith is threatened, there will be pain, automatically, but people are working according to the system and the law. But the pain of December 6 (when Babri Mosque was destroyed) will always be fresh for Muslims, nothing can make us forget or reduce that.”
In 2019, the Supreme Court handed the land over to Hindus, and designated a separate plot for Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.
Hindus say the site's holy nature predates 1528, when Muslim Mughals razed a temple to build the mosque.
Many hail the new temple as a sign of Hinduism reawakening from centuries of foreign subjugation, including rule by dynasties like the Mughals.
The Ramayana's inauguration comes ahead of general elections in May, where Modi is seeking a rare third term.
The event delivers on a campaign promise his political party made more than three decades ago.
India hails itself as a secular state, meaning it isn't supposed to be connected to any specific religion or belief system.
Analysts say Modi's role in the ceremony shows supporters of his Hindu nationalist party that India is finally ready to end what they call the appeasement of minorities - and move towards their goal of building a Hindu-first nation.
#india #temple #mosque
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