UPON the ruins of the 16th-century Babri Masjid, a gleaming new temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Ram has emerged in Ayodhya, consecrated on Monday by none other than the prime minister of India himself. Narendra Modi, accompanied by a cavalcade of Hindu divines, tycoons, celebrities and thousands of devotees, performed religious rituals at the site they believe to be the birthplace of Ram. In December 1992, a frenzied mob of kar sevaks tore down the mosque. What followed was large-scale communal violence which announced the muscular arrival of the Sangh Parivar as a national political force, and the steady marginalisation of Indian Muslims. More than a religious event, Monday’s rituals marked the Sangh’s victory rally, a clear message to all that Hindutva was here to stay.

In the aftermath of the Babri Masjid events, the Sangh has gone from strength to strength, while communalism has been integrated into the mainstream in modern India. During consecutive terms, Mr Modi has given Hindutva state sanction, while making life even more difficult for India’s minorities. The Muslims’ patriotism is constantly questioned, and their rights as equal citizens are under increasing threat. Moreover, the BJP has veered further to the right in the three decades since the Babri Masjid was desecrated. The current crop of national BJP leaders, especially the rabid priest that leads Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is located, makes BJP’s old hands such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani appear progressive. And more polarisation, and increasing doses of Hindutva, are likely to be in store as the BJP is again expected to return to power in elections due later this year. To foreign audiences, Mr Modi projects ‘India shining’, a 21st-century powerhouse. For the increasingly rightist domestic crowd, the Sangh is recreating the Bharat of yore, a ‘pure’ land, a Vedic superpower destined to lead the world. The Ram Mandir is an essential part of this worrying vision.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2024