Construction of the Hindu temple on Muslim mosque site  in Ayodhya in final stages

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA)- The final stages of the construction of a $6billion Hindu temple in Ayodhya, north eastern India, which is deeply controversial, as it lies on a site where a mosque stood for 450 years.

Reuters reported the mosque was demolished in 1992 riots by nationalists who said it was originally a Hindu site, but the case was contested in the courts for decades and caused riots in which 2,000 died, until in 2020, Hindu groups were allowed to build the temple.

The Ram Mandir temple is built of white marble and pink sandstone and is due to open on 22 January, with an expectation it will stand as a landmark akin to Vatican city.

Ayodhya has a population of 3 million, and a new international airport, parks, roads and bridges are all being built to cope with the expected 4.5 million tourists a month.