The politics of prayer at a divine but divisive site that’s shaped modern India: Ayodhya. The opening of the new temple is widely seen as the unofficial launch of Mr Modi’s re-election campaign. His ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been agitating for a temple here since the 1980s. For his supporters, now is a moment of triumph. For Muslims, it’s a moment of trepidation. In 1992, a Hindu mob used bare hands to tear down a mosque where the temple now stands, triggering a national spasm of communal violence that left some 2,000 people – mostly Muslims - dead.
With a national election looming, Katya asks two veteran BBC India correspondents, Yogita Limaye and Soutik Biswas, what the new temple means for Indian unity and for Mr Modi’s campaign for a third term.
The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
This episode of The Global Story was made by Neal Razzell and Beth Timmins. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
