About 2,500 musicians are expected to perform on more than 100 stages for crowds of pilgrims eager to see the expansive temple, built at a cost of an estimated $240 million, with supporters of the project saying it will be funded by public donations. Was obtained from.
The 140 kilometers (87 miles) stretch between the city and Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, features an endless stream of blue-skinned Ram’s bow and arrow as well as billboards of Modi and the region’s chief minister, a saffron-clad Hindu. Sadhu Yogi Adityanath.
Bukesh Rajiyabang, 54, traveled for three days in a packed train to attend the festival.
“This is a moment we have all dreamed of for decades,” he said. “I think the public and Ram will definitely bless Modi for this.”
Other attendees will head to the newly built international airport and stay in one of the many hotels built to serve the millions of pilgrims who visit each year.
Celebrity guests attending the inauguration ceremony include Indian legend, former national cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.
‘Destruction’
Since coming to power a decade ago, Modi and the BJP have tried to bring the Hindu faith to the forefront of public life.
Party stalwarts regularly denounce earlier eras of Islamic rule over parts of India as a time of “slavery” when their own religion was oppressed, with Ayodhya a key issue in their narrative.