India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the new Ram temple in Ayodhya on a historic day. The construction of this multi-million dollar temple fulfills a long-standing promise made by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an election year. The temple, which stands on the site of an ancient mosque, has been a subject of controversy for many years.
According to Hindu beliefs, Ayodhya is the birthplace of the god Ram, but a mosque was built on the site by a 16th-century Muslim emperor after the demolition of a temple. Hindu and Muslim groups have engaged in discussions for years in an attempt to resolve the dispute. However, it was the BJP's nationwide campaign to construct a Hindu temple that eventually led to the demolition of the mosque in 1992, resulting in deadly riots.
