Indian PM Modi lays foundation of Ram temple at razed mosque site
Modi broke ground on a long-awaited temple of Hindu God Ram at the site of a demolished 16th-century mosque.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque on Wednesday to kick off the construction of a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya on a spot where a mosque was demolished nearly 30 years ago, prompting deadly riots nationwide.
Modi offered prayers to nine stone blocks with Lord Ram inscribed on it amid chanting of Hindu religious hymns to symbolise the start of construction of the temple, which is expected to take three and a half years to complete.
“I am grateful to witness history being made. Crores [millions] of Indians cannot believe that this day has come. The entire country is in the spell of Lord Ram … Ram is an emblem of India’s unity in diversity,” Modi said in a speech.
