India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has inaugurated the highly controversial grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram in the city of Ayodhya which was built on the site of a 16th-Century mosque razed by Hindu mobs in 1992.
Modi’s Hindu-nationalist, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hailing the move and set up lavish celebrations across much of the country.
But some Hindu seers and most of the opposition are staying away, saying Modi is using it for political gains.
The construction of the grand Ram temple cost around $181 million and reflects the increasing influence of Hindu-nationalist politics under Modi’s government.
