.BY ONE matter there are practically 700,000 Hindu holy places in India. However for many devotees it was the one that carried out not exist– a monolith to denote the apparent birthplace of Ram, a Hindu god– that mattered one of the most. On January 22nd their yearning will come to an end when Narendra Modi, the head of state, anoints the Ram mandir, a splendid holy place in the northern urban area of Ayodhya.
Some 8,000 people will definitely go to the event, including scores of officials from Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Gathering (BJP) and dignitaries coming from 55 nations. Why is the temple therefore necessary?