:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/JWNRBA34PRCT7HOBHOC4XFTL3Q.jpg "Indian Prime Minister inaugurates controversial Hindu temple before elections")
AYODHYA, India (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya, fulfilling a crucial promise by Hindu nationalists with the that his party hoped to consolidate its hopes of winning a third straight term in the next election.
The temple, which is still under construction, is dedicated to Hinduism’s god Ram and fulfills a long-standing demand of millions of Hindus. Modi’s party and other nationalist groups see the site as a centerpiece of their vision of reclaiming the country’s Hindu pride, which they say was tarnished by centuries of Mughal rule and British colonialism.
Modi, dressed in a traditional kurta, led the opening ceremony amid religious hymns sung by Hindu priests inside the temple, where a 1.3-metre statue of Ram was installed last week. A priest blew into a conch shell to mark the inauguration of the site, and Modi placed a lotus flower before the black stone sculpture.
Nearly 7,500 people, including some of India’s top industry leaders, politicians and film stars, followed the ritual from a giant screen outside the temple as a military helicopter dropped flower petals.