Temple of Fascism
The new Ram temple in Ayodhya, consecrated by Narendra Modi and his BJP/RSS acolytes has resulted in a total national fanfare. Heralded as the first step in the creation of a New India, it conveniently buries the fact that the temple was built on the innocent blood of thousands of Muslims and Hindus across the nation from the initial Ram Janmabhoomi processions in the late 80s and 90s.
The initial conspirators have all been pushed out of the limelight with Mr. Modi taking the absolute center-stage in the media circus that has followed the inauguration, cementing his position as Hindu Hriday Samrat (“The King of Hindu Hearts”) before the 2024 National Elections. The ordinary populace of India aren't stupid to see through the designs of Mr.Modi, but his clarion call of uniting the Hindu vote has no virtually no opposition, making al other electoral issues irrelevant before the national elections. For a deeply religious country, the idea of a Hindu State can be appealing with the Muslims othered both in the international and national stage.
The long-term popularity of the Ram Temple can questioned, as the Temple itself was not a theological issue before the political appropriation of it. One might argue that in the span of history, the political converges into theological and the Temple might last a 1000 years, but that's for history to decide. But for now it's an opportunistic monument by a political ideology whose plans for relevance is in subjugation, ethno-nationalism and imposing cultural homogeneity. In this case, the Ram Janmabhoomi movements stands as a testament for everything that the foundational philosophies of the Indian nation-state were and reversing the idea of a secular democracy to a autocratic theocracy. Though India's flirtations with authoritarianism are still feeble, concocting religion with politics as have other countries in the region have done, will lead the country down the path of Pakistan than say the United States, because when you compare yourself too much to your enemies, you'll end up being just like them.
For now the Ram Temple is a fascist monument, one that will be remembered for the political change this young democracy had to go through. Whether it will be remembered beyond this decade, though the BJP wants to build a network of temples using it as a base remains to be seen. Whatever new symbolism the temple might imbue in the future, one mustn't forget what it stands for today.