Divine moment or political gimmick? India gears up to inaugurate huge Hindu temple

On 22nd January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Ram Mandir is the largest Hindu temple in India, and it is being built on the site that many Hindus believe to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The temple is only half built, but it has already taken on a significance unrivalled by any other religious structure in India.

The inauguration of Ram Mandir is seen by some analysts as the unofficial launch of Modi’s election campaign, as India is due to go to elections in April 2021. The BJP’s election agenda is likely to draw heavily on religious sentiments of Hindus, who make up 80% of India’s population.

The construction of Ram Mandir has been surrounded by controversies. The temple is being built on the site where a mosque, Babri Masjid, stood for hundreds of years before being torn down by a Hindu right-wing mob in 1992 after decades of disputes. The demolition set off riots that killed thousands, making it one of the most seismic acts of religious violence in independent India. In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the site belonged to Hindus, which was a victory for Modi and the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had long pledged to build a temple there.

The BJP and its allies have been on a feverish push to ensure that the inauguration is seen as a national, and even international, event akin to a religious festival. About 8,000 people have been officially invited, but more than 100,000 people are expected to flock to Ayodhya on the day. Screenings will be held across the country, as well as at Indian embassies across the world and even on a sponsored screen at Times Square in New York.

The government’s close alignment with Ram Mandir has been seen as symptomatic of India’s movement away from the secularism enshrined in the post-independence constitution and towards the establishment of the country as a Hindu Rastra [Hindu nation] since the BJP came to power in 2014.

Despite the controversies, the inauguration of Ram Mandir is highly awaited by Hindus across the world. According to doctors in a hospital in Uttar Pradesh, dozens of pregnant women have requested their caesarean sections to take place on 22 January, so their child could be born on the auspicious day of the consecration. The inauguration of Ram Mandir is considered a divine moment by many, but it is also being denounced by the opposition parties as a political gimmick.