Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims broke through police lines to visit the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple was opened to the public for the first time a day after the inauguration ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple is built on the site of a mosque that was demolished in 1992, which has been a source of tension between Hindus and Muslims for decades.
The Rush to Visit the Ram Temple
The newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya attracted mammoth crowds, with pilgrims jostling and rushing inside after the gates opened. Hundreds of devotees began queueing up outside the temple gates at 3am, battling freezing winter temperatures. By 7am, when the temple gates opened after the morning ritual, people surged to get inside. Footage showed a chaotic scene, with people forcefully breaching the barricade lines and rushing inside the temple while police tried to control the crowd. Several individuals stumbled and fell in the crowd surge.A 13km stretch – known as the Ram Path – leading to the temple witnessed a heavy turnout. The Barabanki police urged pilgrims to not visit the temple on Tuesday due to the large number of people and said that the route for all vehicles coming towards Ayodhya had been diverted. Additional director general of police for the capital Lucknow, Piyush Mordia, urged devotees to maintain order and said people should not lose patience. The Rapid Action Force, a police unit that specializes in crowd control, and Sashastra Seema Bal – the force that guards India’s borders – had to be deployed alongside civil police.
The Controversy Surrounding the Ram Temple
The Ram temple has been a source of controversy for decades. The site was the location of the Babri Masjid, a mosque built in the 16th century by Mughal emperor Babur. In 1992, a Hindu mob demolished the mosque, claiming that it was built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a revered Hindu deity. The incident led to communal riots across India, resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.The dispute over the site has been in the courts for decades, with both Hindus and Muslims claiming ownership. In 2019, the Indian Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Hindus, allowing them to build a temple on the site and ordering the government to provide an alternative site for the construction of a mosque.The construction of the temple has been a major political issue in India, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making it a key part of their agenda. The BJP has been accused of stoking communal tensions and promoting a Hindu nationalist agenda. The inauguration of the temple by Prime Minister Modi was seen as a major victory for the BJP and a symbol of their commitment to the Hindu nationalist cause.
The Significance of the Ram Temple
The Ram temple is a symbol of Hindu nationalism and a source of pride for many Hindus in India. Lord Ram is a revered deity in Hinduism and is believed to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple is seen as a symbol of the Hindu faith and a testament to the strength of Hindu culture.The construction of the temple has been hailed as a historic moment for Hindus in India. Many see it as a long-awaited victory over the perceived injustices of the past and a symbol of the resurgence of Hindu pride. The temple is expected to become a major pilgrimage site for Hindus from all over the world.
Conclusion
The rush of Hindu pilgrims to visit the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, has been a major event in the country. The temple, built on the site of a mosque that was demolished in 1992, has been a source of controversy for decades. The inauguration of the temple by Prime Minister Modi was seen as a major victory for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a symbol of their commitment to the Hindu nationalist cause. The temple is expected to become a major pilgrimage site for Hindus from all over the world.
