Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the opening of a Hindu temple on a contested religious site

India – the world’s most populous country with 1.4B people – is roughly 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, and 2% Christian and Sikh

Although officially a secular democracy, Hindu nationalists have campaigned for decades to promote what they call the country’s Hindu values and heritage

Tensions between Hindus and other religious groups have periodically erupted into violence

One of India’s most contentious religious issues was over the Babri Masjid, a Muslim mosque built in the 16th century by a Muslim conqueror

Believed by many to be built on sacred ground where Ram, a major Hindu deity, once lived, many Hindus viewed the mosque as a symbol of foreign rule and an affront to their religion

Tensions over the mosque simmered until 1992, when a Hindu mob destroyed it

Activists have since campaigned to build a temple to Ram on the site of the former mosque

Modi – a Hindu nationalist – strongly supported the construction of that temple

In 2019, a court greenlighted that project, although it granted a separate plot of land nearby for the construction of another mosque

On Monday, after years of construction, the 70-acre, $250M temple opened for the first time

The opening of the temple was a national event, with many Indian states declaring holidays, stock markets closing early, and temples across the country hosting celebrations

Modi attended in person with other delegates from his nationalist BJP party

“After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived,” Modi said in a speech after the opening ceremony. “We are laying the foundation of India for the next 1,000 years from this moment”

Critics argue that the temple and Modi’s reaction to it have stoked religious tensions and undermined India's secular character

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