Almost five hundred years ago, Hindu deity Lord Ram was dislodged from his birthplace when his temple was razed to the ground by invading Islamic forces that subsequently built a Mosque in its stead.
Now, after centuries of struggle, and three and a half decades of political promises, Ram returns with a monumental temple that is rekindling the flames of the Hindu renaissance.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration ceremony. He chanted Hindu religious verses, placed flower petals at the feet of the ancient Ram idol.
He joined his palms in prayer, bowed before it and circled a sacred flame. Outside, a helicopter showered petals on the temple.
The Hindu majority in the world’s most populous nation celebrates.
Nationalist portray the temple as part of a Hindu awakening after past centuries of subjugation by Muslim invaders and colonial powers.
What we saw in Ayodhya yesterday, 22nd January, will be etched in our memories for years to come. pic.twitter.com/8SXnFGnyWg
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2024
Reuters reported:
“The temple in the city of Ayodhya has been a contentious issue that helped catapult the BJP to prominence and power, and delivers on its 35-year-old promise, which analysts say should help Modi as he seeks a rare third term in an election due by May.
For decades, the temple site was bitterly contested by Hindus and minority Muslims, leading to nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, police say, after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there.”
As you would expect, MSM tells the millenary story beginning with a Mosque destroyed in 1992 – so as to portray Muslims as innocent victims. The Ram temple destroyed in 1528 does not matter to them.
The Indian Supreme Court thought it did matter, and in 2019, handed over the land to Hindus. The court also ordered allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.
“‘Lord Ram has arrived. Our Ram lalla (child) will no longer live in a tent, our Ram lalla will reside in this divine temple’, Modi said, referring to earlier temporary structures which housed an old Ram idol.
‘It marks the beginning of a new era,” he told an invitation-only gathering. “A nation rising by breaking the mentality of slavery … creates new history in this manner’.”
Modi says it’s a new era. And he is right. Opposition parties say it’s been converted into a political event. And they are right, too. Rival Muslim nation Pakistan condemned the consecration, as you would expect.
The world is complex.
“Traditional clarinets played devotional music during the rituals for the 51-inch (130-cm) tall, black stone deity that represents the god-king while monks, businessmen, sports and movie stars watched along with millions nationwide.”
Thousands wore saffron-colored clothes and danced in the streets, waving flags and chanted.
Religious fervor is spreading across India, homes and businesses illuminated as in another Diwali, the Hindu festival of light.
A multitude of devotees eventually broke through security at the temple in Ayodhya.
Hindustan Times reported:
“The entire stretch of the 13-kilometre long Ram Path from the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk was crowded with people moving at a snail’s pace. As per the Ayodhya administration, devotees from the temple town and other parts of the country had been arriving at the temple from 5 am.
As the day progressed, the Ram Path turned into a sea of crowd. A large contingent of police personnel was rushed to the temple to control the situation. Barricades were put up and entry into the temple was stopped to control the crowd. Gradually, the situation was brought under control.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ayodhya Range, Praveen Kumar said the extra police force has been deployed to manage the crowd. He said people are requested to wait for their turn and don’t create panic in hurry to visit the temple.”
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: People break through security at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony was done yesterday at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. pic.twitter.com/vYEANsXQkP
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2024
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