The construction of India’s largest Hindu temple, up to 160 feet tall, is a major cause for concern among those working for religious liberty in the world’s most populous nation.
The temple, Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, is currently only half built, but it was inaugurated recently by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the right-wing nationalist BJP party.
Indians are set to go to the polls in April, when the BJP will seek a third successive term in office. The temple inauguration, where Modi led the ceremonies alongside the priests, has been described by some analysts as the unofficial launch of his election campaign.
Ram Mandir is being built on the site that many Hindus believe to be the birthplace of Ram, the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is also where a mosque, Babri Masjid, stood for hundreds of years before being torn down by a Hindu mob in 1992 after decades of disputes. The demolition, which set off riots that killed thousands, is regarded as one of the most seismic acts of religious violence in independent India.
The government’s close association with the temple has also been seen as symbolising India’s movement away from the secularism enshrined in the post-independence Constitution and towards the establishment of the country as a Hindu ‘Rastra’ [Hindu nation] since the BJP came to power in 2014.
Andrew Boyd of Release International analysed what the new temple says about the direction India is currently moving in: ‘What we are seeing is competition to control and dominate the high places – the places of worship. This rivalry is being played out with the reopening of the Hindu temple in Ayodhya on a disputed site. Across India, Hindu religious nationalism is on the rise, stirring up intolerance towards religious minorities. Anti-conversion laws are gaining ground, along with the arrests of Christian evangelists.
‘This intolerance climaxed in the Manipur attacks in 2023, which claimed 175 lives, burnt 300 churches, and drove 60,000 from their homes. Release International’s partners tell us that the persecution of Christians and others increases dramatically with each passing month. India’s forthcoming elections will be another clear indication of which way the wind is blowing for Christians’.
Gareth Wallace, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs for Open Doors UK and Ireland, commented: ‘This is part of a broader picture of Hindu nationalism in the country. It’s a trend that began with the election of Narendra Modi as India’s Prime Minister in 2014 and is fast escalating. In 2023, there was a surge of religious Hindu nationalism. The Hindutva ideology, that to be Indian is to be Hindu, is being openly promoted. The implications of this surge in nationalism are grim for minorities like Christians and Muslims. One example is the riots against Christians in Chhattisgarh last year, when gangs of armed Hindu extremists went door to door assaulting believers.’
