A multi-billion dollar makeover has seen swathes of the city bulldozed to turn it into what some Hindu nationalist leaders are calling a "Hindu Vatican". Mr Modi opens the Ayodhya temple months before general elections, with his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyeing a record third consecutive term. There's actually a bit of shock and awe that all this has happened," said Valay Singh, author of Ayodhya: City of Faith, City of Discord, who has been visiting the the city since 2016. "We want to create the most beautiful city in the world," says Gaurav Dayal, the senior-most official of Ayodhya. Mr Khan believes Hindus and Muslims shared warm relations in Ayodhya, rooted in a centuries-old inter-dependence.

Source: The Hindu January 16, 2024 00:35 UTC