In the northern city of Ayodhya, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a Hindu temple on Monday. As Hindu priests recited hymns inside the temple’s inner sanctum, where a 1.3-meter stone sculpture of Lord Ram was placed last week, Modi, dressed in a traditional kurta tunic, led the opening ceremony.
The temple was dedicated to a priest blowing a conch, and Modi placed a lotus flower in front of the black stone idol, which was clutching a golden bow and arrow and was decorated with elaborate gold embellishments. Later on, he bowed down to the idol.
2024, according to Modi, is more than just a date; it’s the start of a new era.
The ritual was broadcast live on television to millions of Indians, who saw it presented as a holy spectacle by news networks.
A military chopper dropped flower petals while over 7,500 spectators, including politicians, movie stars, and wealthy entrepreneurs, watched the ceremony on a huge screen outside the shrine.
In the days preceding the temple’s opening, Ayodhya, which was formerly home to cramped residences and dilapidated stalls, received a comprehensive makeover.
Major hotel companies are constructing new properties, visitors are coming to a new airport and expansive railway station, and narrow roads have been converted into a four-lane pilgrimage route leading to the shrine.
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