Hindus throng Ram temple in India's Ayodhya as it opens to the public

Hindu devotees stand in a queue as they wait to enter the Hindu god Lord Ram temple after its inauguration in Ayodhya, India, January 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

AYODHYA, India (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Hindus braved biting cold on Tuesday to pray at a new temple to Lord Ram in India's northern city of Ayodhya, a day after its inaugural by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a site believed to be the god-king's birthplace.

Hindu groups, Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliates have portrayed the opening as part of a Hindu renaissance after past centuries of subjugation by Muslim invaders and colonial powers.