Hot topics close

India's Ayodhya Ram Mandir temple inauguration

Indias Ayodhya Ram Mandir temple inauguration
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presiding over the inauguration of a lavish Hindu temple on the site of a destroyed centuries-old mosque. Follow here for live news updates.
Yogi Adityanath greets people ahead of the inauguration of the temple of the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya, India, on January 22.
Yogi Adityanath greets people ahead of the inauguration of the temple of the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya, India, on January 22. Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, where Ayodhya is located, has called the Ram Mandir India's "national temple" and one that celebrates the country's "pride."

"Indian society maintained restraint, but the resolve for a temple kept growing stronger," Yogi Adityanath, the controversial monk-turned-politician told thousands of guests outside the Ram Mandir. "Now everyone wants to come to Ayodhya." "This is the victory of public faith and public trust, the re-establishment of India's pride... The establishment of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is an important ritual of cultural reawakening of India. This is a national temple."

Adityanath has governed India's most populous state since 2017, when the Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed him leader after claiming victory in state polls that year.

But the appointment of Adityanath, a Hindu priest, indicated to some experts that it was yet another sign of the BJP's Hindutva ideology – which strives to make secular India the land of the Hindus.

Adityanath has since become one of the country's more polarizing political figures.

Since he took office, the state has already passed legislation that, critics say, is rooted in Hindutva ideology. It has protected cows, an animal considered sacred to Hindus, from slaughter, and made it increasingly difficult to transport cattle.

Adityanath has been a vocal advocate for the construction of the Ram Temple and attended the consecration ceremony inside the building.

Meanwhile, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the right-wing parent organization of the BJP, declared the temple "has become a symbol of a new India that will stand tall."

"It has been said, and we know, that today in Ayodhya, along with Lord Ram, India's self has returned," RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in a speech.
Similar shots
  • అత రమమయ  Top 9 News  Ayodhya Ram Mandir  TV9
News Archive
  • GasBuddy
    GasBuddy
    GasBuddy predicts $4.25 price will go higher; GOP says it won't suspend Indiana gas tax
    8 Mar 2022
    1
  • Bahrain
    Bahrain
    F1 champion Max Verstappen wins season-opening Bahrain Grand ...
    2 Mar 2024
    5
  • NBA games
    NBA games
    What time are the Christmas NBA games today? TV schedule, channels, streaming for Saturday
    26 Dec 2021
    1
  • Argentina vs Croatia
    Argentina vs Croatia
    Argentina vs Croatia live: World Cup score, highlights, result from 2022 semi final match
    13 Dec 2022
    3
  • DJ Uiagalelei
    DJ Uiagalelei
    FSU football: 3 reasons it's time to move on from DJ Uiagalelei
    24 days ago
    10
  • MAGA March
    MAGA March
    Violence followed the “Million MAGA March” in Washington, DC
    14 Nov 2020
    1
This week's most popular shots