Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignored his critics who considered his participation in building a Hindu temple contrary to the constitution of India as a secular state, and was keen to inaugurate the Temple of Ram himself in a Hindu ceremony held for this purpose today, declaring that the temple which laid its foundation stone on the ruins of the historic Babri Mosque in the city of Ayodhya A symbol of modern India, considering the celebration of the launch a "historic day".
The temple foundation stone which Modi placed today with his hand weighs 40 kilograms, and is made of pure silver. Moody, who also planted seedlings of Indian night jasmine, said that clay and water had been brought in from all parts of India to build the temple, which "is a symbol of our unity. Despite attempts to eradicate the presence of Lord Ram, it still lives in our hearts and is the basis of our culture."
In his impromptu speech in front of the ceremony held on this occasion in the presence of a select elite of Hindu religious leaders, Moody repeated the word of God Ram hundreds of times, describing it as "embodying our cultures" considering the building of the temple "a historic chapter of gold written by Hindus," adding that "God Ram inspired the great people on Throughout history including Mahatma Gandhi. "
Modi also praised the efforts of Hindus in various parts of the world to build the temple. He said, "We congratulate all loyal to Ram and all of India at the mercy of Ram today, after many generations sacrificed for him, and after having remained a dream for centuries, building the temple is the dawn of a new era in the history of India embodies the loyal sacrifices. "
Thanks to the court
Moody thanked all those who contributed to preparing for the construction of the Ram Temple in the place of the Babri Mosque, including the Supreme Court, whose ruling in favor of Hindus was described as "an honest judgment and a symbol of our culture."
Without specifying how? Modi, who was keen to chant Hindu chants in his speech from time to time, said that building the Ram Temple "will bring prosperity to India and the entire region" and went on to say, "The construction of the Ram Temple is a symbol of strength and unity for all religions, regardless of religion. Ram is in everyone and belongs to all ".
Before delivering the speech, Moody performed Hindu prayers for nine stone blocks of Ram's inscription on them and they were kept in a small pit amid Hindu chants symbolizing the start of construction of the temple, which is expected to take three and a half years to complete. The blocks will serve as the foundation stones for the monument.
Moody wore a traditional costume consisting of a golden kurta, a long shirt and a white dotty in loose fabric wrapped around his waist. He also appeared in a muzzle before the ceremony started, where he prostrated in front of a small statue of "God Ram", which was kept in a makeshift temple erected by Hindu nationalists at the site where the mosque was demolished in 1992.
Lal Krishna Advani, 92, leader of the ruling Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, who was at the forefront of the temple campaign of the party in the nineties, said, "It is an emotional and historical moment. Waiting was beneficial."
The organizers of the ceremony said that the ceremonies were set for a promising date for Hindus on this day a year ago, and Parliament canceled Article 370 of the Constitution, which is related to the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, which was giving the part of it under the control of India a special status to put it under the direct control of the central government in New Delhi.
The celebration of the inauguration of the construction of the temple on this day bears a symbolism of the fulfillment of Bharatiya Janata of his pledges that Modi had previously made long ago in his statement to strip Kashmir of its special status, and the construction of the Ram Ram Temple replaced the Babri Mosque which was built by Mughal Muslims in the 16th century AD.
As part of celebrations to build the Hindu temple, homes and other buildings nearby were painted in yellow to recreate the look when Ram ruled there thousands of years ago, according to the Hindu epic Ramayana. "Yellow is the happy color, according to the Hindu tradition, and it symbolizes purity," said temple priest Mahant Kamal Narain Das.
Hindus celebrate the inauguration of the Temple of the Gods Ram (Reuters)
a celebration
The Corona pandemic casts a shadow over the ceremony and invitations were limited to only 17 people, most of whom are spiritual Hindu leaders, to attend the ceremony in light of restrictions on large gatherings due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Ayodhya prepared for this event, and residents lit thousands of lamps on the eve of the ceremony. However, the city was closed to strangers, and Hindus were asked to celebrate this event by holding prayers at home or gathering in small numbers.
It was observed that many Hindu religious leaders and priests, including senior leaders of Hindu nationalist organizations, were not wearing masks, or were wearing them incorrectly.
According to the Associated Press, those invited to the opening ceremony were Mohan Bhagwat, head of the parent organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS), known for its extremism in Hindu extremism in which Modi grew up, and Iqbal Ansari, the main Muslim litigant in the Supreme Court case that decided to build the temple in Ayodhya.
"Today the hopes and aspirations of Hindus have been fulfilled for centuries," said Mohan Bhagwat, president of the RSS organization, which is the ideological reference for Bharatiya Janata.
Alert
The authorities mobilized their security to secure the celebration and closed the main roads in Ayodhya, and deployed more than 3,000 paramilitaries in the city, as all shops and businesses were closed.
Last week, a Hindu temple priest in the city said, "If this festival had been in normal days, all of these roads would have been filled with people. Millions would have come to Ayodhya to witness this historic event."
The Babri Mosque was reported to have been destroyed by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992, sparking widespread violence between Hindus and Muslims that killed 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.
The width of the temple to be erected in the place of the historic mosque is about 235 feet (72 meters) and 300 feet (91.5 meters) long with five domes with a total area of 84,000 square feet (7,804 square meters). The complex will also contain a prayer hall, a lecture hall, a visitor home and a museum.
It is worth noting that, according to Indian estimates, Indian Muslims constitute about 14% of the population of India, which has a Hindu majority of 1.3 billion people.
Senior Muslims said, "The community has succumbed to the new reality" but they fear that the temple could encourage Hindu nationalists to target two other mosques in Uttar Pradesh.