What India’s Controversial Ram Temple Means for Hindus and Muslims

On a plot of land in Ayodhya, a small city in northern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieved a long-standing goal on an issue that has created divisions between the country’s majority Hindu and minority Muslim populations for decades. He inaugurated the Ram Mandir, a sprawling temple complex devoted to the Hindu god-king Ram, on Jan. 22, in an elaborate ceremony in front of thousands of guests and millions more watching live on TV. Devotees believe the temple site is Ram’s birthplace. It was formerly occupied by a 16th century mosque razed in 1992 by Hindu extremists. That act of destruction prompted a wave of deadly Hindu-against-Muslim riots and helped fuel the rise of the so-called Hindu nationalist movement.

Modi led a consecration ceremony opening the Ram Mandir to the public. The prime minister strode into the inner sanctuary and performed a series of rituals before a newly minted idol of the Hindu god Ram, a statue of about 4 feet (1.2 meters) covered in gold and flowers. Modi was flanked by a handful of close political allies and priests in traditional saffron robes. The event took place as Modi campaigns for a third term in elections in coming months, and fulfilled a longstanding campaign promise by his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. More than 7,000 guests were in attendance including business leaders like Mukesh Ambani and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan. The ceremony marked the opening of only a portion of the temple, with the remaining wings still under construction.