The Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya is just days away. It marks the culmination of a decades-long Ram Janmabhomi movement. But, how do the residents of the holy town, who’ve witnessed the pain and politics of the movement up close for the last seven decades, look at it?
The preparations in the run up to January 22 have been elaborate, to say the least. From asking people to install Ram idols in their homes to declaring a holiday for educational institutions on the day, BJP leaders and Hindu organisations have been trying to turn the occasion into a ‘national festival’. But amid all the religious fervour and nationwide frenzy, has life actually changed for Muslims in Ayodhya since the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict?
Even as the inauguration and the optics surrounding the new temple are expected to boost the BJP's prospects ahead of the Lok Sabha elections later this year, the decision to inaugurate a partially constructed temple has upset several senior Hindu priests and heads of major shrines who have decided to boycott the event. Will this have an impact on PM Modi’s image – who otherwise is projected as the protector of Sanatan Dharma by his supporters?
As construction workers race against time to build enough of the temple ahead of January 22, Outlook’s next issue looks at the history of the politics of the Ram temple and where it stands now. Outlook's reporters have been to the Ground Zero and they report from Ayodhya on the sentiment in the holy town, the ongoing preparations and politics, the history of the movement and the future of Ayodhya.
