New temple transforms India’s Ayodhya but Muslims feel neglected

In the northern Indian city of Ayodhya, which was once marred by communal tensions, labourers are finalizing a $6 billion infrastructure facelift ahead of the opening of a grand Hindu temple that is igniting an economic boom – which some of Ayodhya’s poor and its Muslim community say is passing them by, Reuters reported.

City officials expect about 4.5 million tourists a month – more than Ayodhya’s entire population of 3 million – once the first stage of Ram Mandir, as the temple is known, opens on Jan. 22 inside a sprawling complex of carved pink sandstone and white marble.

Ayodhya made international headlines in 1992 when a Hindu mob razed Babri mosque – where the Mandir will stand – saying it had been built on the site of an earlier Hindu temple. The incident sparked nationwide riots that left 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

After decades of legal contests, India’s Supreme Court in 2019 awarded the site to Hindu groups for temple construction.

While the $180 million temple project in Uttar Pradesh state is funded by donations, the state government – controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – is pulling out all the stops.

The BJP – which had made construction of the temple a national campaign pledge – is in government spending billions on rebuilding Ayodhya, with a new international airport, parks, roads and bridges in the offing.

Hindu priest Rajendra Das says the temple – which believers say is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most sacred deities – has boosted Ayodhya’s hospitality and real estate sectors like never before.

“Everyone will benefit by the temple,” said Das, a 64-year-old dressed in a dhoti sarong. He is spending $120,000 to rebuild his tourist lodge – which is being demolished in the city’s revamp – with bigger rooms that have more amenities.

“Foreign tourists and people from every nook and corner of India will come.”

Reuters interviewed dozens of residents and businesspeople who said the Mandir is bringing a flood of new investment and prosperity to Ayodyha, though some complain of being left behind.

Locals whose property was demolished in redevelopment feel displaced by soaring land prices and scant compensation. And some from the city’s sizeable Muslim community of an estimated 350,000 said they are not reaping the benefits of the boom.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi denied that Muslim residents were being left out: “If roads are getting widened then Muslims will also use them. If electricity supply is getting fixed, Muslims will also benefit.”

“This temple is expected to stand as one of the grandest Hindu temples, much like India’s own Vatican City,” said Lodha chief executive Samujjwal Ghosh, adding that businesses were marketing Ayodyha as a premium consumer product.

Each year, millions of Hindus travel to Indian temple cities like Varanasi and Tirupati, which have become tourist hotspots with thriving hospitality sectors.

The revamp, however, has upset many in the city’s Muslim community. In its 2019 order, the Supreme Court also said authorities must allocate the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, which advocates for Muslim rights, “suitable” land at a “prominent” place to build a new mosque.

The board was issued land 15 miles from the temple, just next to the city border. That effectively means Muslims are excluded from the development boom downtown, said Azam Qadri, president of Ayodhya district committee of the board.

When Reuters visited the site designated for the mosque, there was no construction or infrastructure development ongoing in the quiet surrounding area. A poster on a wall showcased the proposed design and read: “A Masterpiece In Making”.

“Everyone is focused on the temple. There should have been focus on promoting mosques too,” Qadri said.

Muslims still don’t have wide acceptance in the city and even if the community tried to build hotels, Hindu religious tourists might not visit, he added.