Modi opens grand Hindu temple with eye on India’s upcoming elections

India came to a halt Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the opening of a grand Hindu temple on a contested holy site.

India came to a halt Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the opening of a grand Hindu temple on a contested holy site that has become a symbol of religious tensions in the world’s largest democracy.

The $217 million Ram Mandir honors Lord Ram, the most revered deity in Hinduism, and is transforming Ayodhya, a city of about 3 million people in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, into a tourist hub that officials hope will be a Hindu version of the Vatican.

Dressed in a traditional kurta tunic, Modi led the consecration ceremony as Hindu priests chanted hymns and a 4.25-foot statue of Lord Ram was unveiled in the temple’s inner sanctum. Indian Air Force helicopters showered the temple with flower petals as Modi placed a lotus in front of the black stone idol, which was adorned with gold ornaments.

“After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived,” he said in a speech after the ceremony, addressing thousands of devotees, politicians, businesspeople and celebrities gathered for the event.

“We are laying the foundation of India for the next 1,000 years from this moment,” he said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-lord-ram-temple-ayodhya-narendra-modi-rcna134654

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