Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated a grand new temple for the Hindu god Ram on Jan 22.

The new temple, still under construction, was built after decades-long litigation following the demolition of the ancient Muslim Babri mosque in 1992.

The consecration of the Ram temple took place in Ayodhya, a once dusty, desolate and somnolent town in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The ceremony, which saw Modi take a leading role, was attended by around 7,500 people including bigwigs from Hindu nationalist groups and religious entities, high-profile people from India and abroad, as well as, leading industrialists, Bollywood movie stars and sportspersons from across the populous country.

Leaders belonging to the main opposition party the Indian National Congress and a few other political parties, however, boycotted the event saying that the BJP was trying to bring religion into politics. 

Many Hindus believe that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram, and that Muslim rulers had built a mosque in the 16th century after razing a temple that existed at the site.

Built with pink sandstone and black granite, the temple replaces the mosque which was demolished by frenzied Hindu mobs in December 1992, fuelling nationwide riots in which more than 2,000 people died.

In a historic verdict in November 2019, the Supreme Court granted land of the disputed site to Hindu deity Ram Lalla with possession of land by the Central Government, while allowing local state to allot land to Muslims for building a mosque, according to the Times of India.

Modi inaugurated only the ground floor of the temple. The remaining portions are expected to be completed by the end of 2024, with a grandiose makeover for which the government sanctioned $3.85 billion. A swanky international airport and a railway station are also in the making.

A number of new hotels have come up in anticipation of a flood of tourists from across the world. Modi has promised to build a "world-class city where people come as pilgrims and tourists".

Modi announced in Lok Sabha the formation of a trust to construct a Ram temple in Ayodhya in February 2020 and laid the foundation of the temple in August of that year.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily. Xu Weiwei in Hong Kong and Xinhua contributed to this report.