In an Indian town known as a flashpoint for sectarian violence, workers are crafting the final touches on a divisive temple that has come to symbolise the country’s rising tide of Hindu nationalism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will next month inaugurate Ayodhya’s new shrine to Lord Ram on a site where a mosque once stood, before it was torn down by Hindu zealots more than three decades ago.
Muslim residents of the city, remembering the deadly riots that accompanied the demolition, have been wary of its renewed atmosphere of religious fervour.
But for many more, the project is both a means of restoring Ayodhya to the glory of its depiction in ancient Hindu texts, and proof of Modi’s commitment to defending India’s majority faith just months ahead of national elections.
![[FILES] This handout photograph taken on November 16, 2021 and released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during an inauguration. Photo/AFP](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Narendra-Modi-1062x598-1.jpg "Modi calls for World Bank reform at G20 finance meet 3")
“Modi has stayed true to his promise,” housewife Gudiya Devi told AFP outside another temple in Ayodhya after her morning prayers.
“All these years we dreamt of a majestic Ram temple and now that dream is coming true,” she added. “This is all thanks to Modi. He is our true leader.”
Artisans were toiling on top of bamboo scaffolds Friday to finish ornamental details on the main structure of the imposing shrine, which will stand 50 metres (160 feet) tall at its highest point.
With a price tag of an estimated 20 billion rupees ($240 million) according to project manager Jagdish Aphale, its builders expect tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims to visit the temple each year.
Immense sums from government coffers have poured into Ayodhya to give the city’s dilapidated infrastructure a facelift ahead of the inauguration.
A new international airport will open on Saturday, road and rail connections have been upgraded and a crop of new hotels have sprung up almost overnight.
Sidewalks and pillars have been decorated with the saffron flags and marigold flowers used in Hindu festivities to welcome travellers.
“So many pilgrims have already started pouring into the city,” said Shubh Mangal, a 52-year-old who makes his living selling flowers and other offerings for Hindu worshippers.
“My profits have doubled. We are all overjoyed.”
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