A Look At How International Media Covered Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony

Most news reports pointed out how the temple's inauguration will boost PM Modi's campaign for upcoming elections.

Here is how international media covered the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony.

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

The New York Times published two articles on the Ram Mandir. Written by Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar, one of the articles says that the inauguration is "the crowning achievement of a national movement aimed at establishing Hindu supremacy in India by rallying the country’s Hindu majority across castes and tribes."

Another article in The New York Times, written by Alex Travelli and Hari Kumar, talks about why the Ram Mandir is so important. The piece says, "But many Hindus, especially in the so-called cow belt in the country’s north, just think it’s nice that Ram will finally have a temple in the holy place where he was born. They were celebrating its inauguration at live screenings, as at a once-a-millennium holiday."

The Washington Post article written by Gerry Shish and Karishma Mehrotra mentions how the temple inauguration will boost PM Modi's campaign for the upcoming elections. It says, "The temple consecration and blanket media coverage are widely expected to give Modi a boost ahead of the national elections expected in April, in which he is heavily favored to win a third term. Several opposition parties said they would boycott Monday’s event, and some prominent Hindu theologians known as the Shankaracharyas have rebuked the prime minister for politicizing religion — and consecrating a temple that is not yet finished in violation of Hindu traditions."

The CNN article also talks about the upcoming elections in India. In their write-up, Helen Regan and Rhea Mogul state, "Monday’s ceremony fulfils a long-standing promise to voters by Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government that propelled them to power in 2014."

"For years, Modi and his political allies vowed to build a temple on the site of a 16th century mosque that was destroyed by violent Hindu hardliners in a deadly 1992 attack that turbo-charged the country’s Hindu nationalist movement." 

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in a grand event that is expected to galvanize Hindu voters in an upcoming election," write Biswajeet Banerjee, Sheikh Saaliq, and Krutika Pathi in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Pakistan's popular publication Dawn states, "India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple on Monday that embodies the triumph of his muscular Hindu nationalist politics, galvanising loyalists in an unofficial start to his re-election campaign this year."

Building a ‘Vatican for Hindus’ has long been one of the biggest talking points for India’s Hindu nationalist movement, but its construction on the site of the "illegally demolished" Babri Masjid mosque remains a source of pain for India’s Muslim minority, an article in The Independent states.

Al Jazeera has an article by Sanjay  Kapoor, which reads, "As a celebratory atmosphere envelops much of India, many among its 200 million Muslims wonder what’s next for them."

Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan report from Ayodhya for The Guardian. "Modi inaugurates Hindu temple on site of razed mosque in India. Narendra Modi hails controversial opening as fulfilment of ‘dream that many have cherished for years," they write.