Labourers stand on top of the illuminated grand temple of Lord Ram ahead of its opening in Ayodhya in India, January 19, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
AYODHYA, India (Reuters) - A grand temple to Hindu god Lord Ram opens on Monday on a site in India millions believe is his birthplace, in a religious spectacle led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi months before he seeks a rare third term in elections.
The construction of the temple is a 35-year-old, central promise of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a contentious political issue that helped catapult the party to prominence and power.
