AYODHYA - Tens of thousands of Hindus braved biting cold on Jan 23 to pray at a new temple to Lord Ram in India’s northern city of Ayodhya, a day after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a site believed to be the god-king’s birthplace.

Hindu groups, Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliates have portrayed the opening as part of a Hindu renaissance after past centuries of subjugation by Muslim invaders and colonial powers.

“I was adamant about this... I will only leave after I have seen my Lord Ram,” Mr Guddu Shukla, who queued at the temple gate at 4am in temperatures of about 8 deg C, told news agency ANI.

He was among more than 50,000 devotees who lined up before dawn on Jan 23 to enter the temple.

Some 200,000 arrived in the city after the consecration, said Mr Murli Dhar Singh, a government official.

The site was bitterly contested for decades by Hindus and minority Muslims, sparking nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, police say, after a Hindu mob destroyed the 16th-century mosque there.

Hindus say the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram and was holy to them long before Muslim Mughals razed a temple at the spot to build the Babri Masjid, or mosque, in 1528.

The Supreme Court handed the land to Hindus in 2019, ordering that Muslims be given a separate plot.

“Devotees inside are hugging the temple walls and crying,” said a worshipper from central India, who did not give his name.

“If you are a true follower of Hindu tradition, you’ll have tears in your eyes, because that idol represents the 500-year-long struggle.”

Police urged on social media for people to stay away from the temple area because of the large crowds there and diversions on the route.

Analysts say the temple inauguration is expected to boost Mr Modi’s effort to secure a third term in general elections due by May.

Celebrations were held on Jan 22 across the nation, where Hindus form most of a population of about 1.42 billion.

Mr Modi had made a call to treat the day like Diwali, the festival of lights, which marks Ram’s return to Ayodhya in Hindu mythology.

Muslims, who plan to begin building a new mosque in the city in May, have signalled they have moved on from the dispute, saying the temple was built following court orders and they bear no ill will. REUTERS