In the Indian city of Ayodhya, elaborate presents have begun to arrive as Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets ready to dedicate a large Hindu temple, which he hopes would increase his prospects of winning an unprecedented third election in a matter of months.
The expansive Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, though not yet finished, carries out Prime Minister Modi’s long-standing pledge to erect a Hindu temple on the site of a mosque from the 16th century that was destroyed by Hindu protesters more than 30 years ago.
India was completely changed by that incident, and the Hindu nationalist movement there grew exponentially.
Because of this, Monday’s ceremony is very contentious. Although many Hindus will be celebrating the country’s inauguration, the Muslim minority in the nation views it as a painful reminder of the religious divisions they fear will widen under Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
What you should know is as follows.
What is the Monday schedule for Ayodhya?
One of Hinduism’s most venerated deities, Lord Ram, will have an idol unveiled within the temple’s sanctum sanctorum during a consecration ceremony presided over by Modi and seen by millions of people on television.
High-profile politicians are among the almost 7,000 guests invited to the ceremony in person; they are traveling from all over the large nation to participate.
Based on predictions from local media, some 100 chartered planes are scheduled to land in Ayodhya on Monday, causing a spike in accommodation prices and last-minute bookings to cost up to $1,200 per day.
As workers take the statue into the temple complex, priests have been leading prayers and carrying out rites since January 16. The celebrations at the temple have been covered by Indian TV channels around-the-clock, and senior BJP officials have discussed the happenings in multiple televised interviews.
It is anticipated that the ceremony would also be shown internationally on large TV screens in Times Square, New York, and at Indian embassies abroad.
Modi has been observing an 11-day routine involving fasting and prayer before of the occasion, which is rich in Hindu religious symbolism.
During the consecration, he declared in a recorded address on his YouTube channel, “The Lord has made me an instrument to represent all the people of India.”
Modi continued, “I ask for your blessings.”
What makes the Ram Mandir so divisive?
The Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque constructed during Mughal rule (1526–1858), which controlled India from 1526–1858, previously stood on the site of the temple.
However, a lot of Hindus think that the first Mughal emperor of South Asia, Babar, destroyed a Hindu temple, on the site of which the Babri Masjid was constructed.
They consider the site to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, who is now being honored by the building of the new Ram Mandir, which makes it significant to them.
Hindu nationalist organizations had been pushing to destroy the mosque and replace it with a temple for years. Encouraged by the BJP and other right-wing organisations, Hindu fundamentalists hit it with hammers in 1992, sparking extensive intercommunal violence.
More than 2,000 people were slain nationwide in a wave of retaliatory attacks that also attacked dozens of mosques and temples.
Since the violent conflicts that followed India’s 1947 independence and partition, this period of violence is among the worst to have occurred there.
Hindu nationalists mobilized in the next years to erect the Ram Mandir on the location of the demolished mosque, sparking a heated and emotionally charged conflict that lasted for decades.
The matter was resolved in 2019 when the Supreme Court of India gave Hindus permission to erect the temple on the disputed site.
Although many Muslims still experience great stress and grief as a result of the Babri Mosque’s destruction, it was perceived as a win for Modi and his allies.
What role does Modi play in the temple?
A Hindutva agenda, which holds that India should become a land for Hindus, has been actively promoted by Modi throughout his political career. Modi came to power in 2014 on a platform of reforming the nation’s economy and bringing in a new era of growth.
In keeping with a pledge to his core supporters, Modi’s party mobilized to construct the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya while he was in office. This step was widely perceived as supporting the nation’s Hindu majority.
Four years ago, when the Supreme Court handed down its ruling, Modi declared that the ruling had “brought a new dawn” for the country and would result in the “creation of a new India.”
Critics claim that politicians supporting Hindu nationalism have ripped India away from its secular foundational ideals and that the construction of the Ayodhya temple represents the pinnacle of their multi-decade quest to change the nation.
After fulfilling his pledge to millions of people, the temple’s opening next week is predicted to increase Modi’s chances of securing an unprecedented third term in the general election that is anticipated later this year.
Although the government did not provide funding for the temple’s construction, Modi and the BJP made a huge effort to elevate the ceremony to the status of a significant national occasion by vigorously promoting its inauguration.
What comments do Muslims have regarding the temple?
Of India’s 1.4 billion people, 200 million or so are Muslims. About 500,000 of the 3 million residents of Ayodhya, which is in the politically vital northern state of Uttar Pradesh, are Muslims, and some of them are afraid of attacks on the day of the temple’s opening.
Messages of solidarity have been sent among Muslims on social media, with WhatsApp groups advising members of the faith to avoid using public transportation, such as trains and buses, for their own protection.
The Ram temple’s construction was made possible by a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that also required the government to reserve land for the construction of a mosque some 25 kilometers (15 miles) away.
However, it is anticipated that work on the mosque won’t start until May.
Prominent Muslim legislators have expressed disapproval of the temple’s opening and bemoaned the destruction of the Babri mosque, where their forefathers recited the Quran centuries ago.
Earlier this month, Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen political party, addressed his followers and said, “Young people, we have lost our Masjid (mosque) and you are seeing what is being done there.” “Is there no pain in your hearts?”
What is the opposition doing?
The Indian National Congress, the BJP’s principal rival, has declared it will abstain from the inauguration on the grounds that the party is politicizing the occasion.
The BJP spokeswoman, Sudhanshu Trivedi, responded to the Congress’ decision to skip the ceremony by telling reporters that the party is against the “country” and “god” and that its decision was motivated by “jealousy, malice and inferiority complex towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
What is the estimated price and design of the temple?
Within a 70-acre (28-hectare) complex, the temple is being built by the Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro. The project is projected to cost roughly 15 billion rupees ($180 million).
Its establishment was not financed by the government. Alternatively, the facility has raised roughly 30 billion rupees ($361 million) in donations.
One of the paintings of Lord Ram created by three sculptors was chosen by a panel to be placed inside the sanctum sanctorum. With a weight of 150–200 kg (440 lbs), the sculpture made of black stone portrays the deity as a five-year-old boy.