Temple tourism set to soar under India's Modi


Hindu saints attend the opening of the grand temple of the Hindu god Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, January 22, 2024. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated one of the holiest Hindu temples and his government has been spending millions of dollars to develop many others, boosting tourism and his appeal among the majority community ahead of elections.

Apart from a $6 billion makeover of the northern city of Ayodhya, where Modi opened the first phase of a Ram Temple, the federal government has spent nearly $120 million to develop dozens of Hindu pilgrimage sites in the past decade, according to government data, and more funding is planned.

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