Faith brings temple town alive on landmark day

It all led to this seminal day.

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Centuries of contested history; movements that blended the religious and the political, bring forth rancour and violence to form one of the primary political fault lines of modern India; an illegal demolition; a court case that lasted seven decades, culminating in a judgement in November 2019; calls for healing and moving on; an announcement in Parliament in February 2020, and the laying of a foundation stone six months later. All milestones that will find a prominent place in India history, leading to the morning of January 22, 2024 on the banks of the Saryu.

It was cold and windy to begin with, but by 10am, it was clear that it was going to be a rare crisp winter day in Ayodhya- sunny, blue skies, with a bit of nip in the air. Cars were rolling into town, bearing the assorted group of 7,500-odd invited for the event.

With organisers, volunteers and security personnel, there were close to 12,000 inside the temple complex.

Security was tight, but efficient. Everyone was on their best behaviour-some tried to gatecrash or bring along members of their families who were not included in the invitation, and were politely turned away. Some people used golf carts to get to the actual site of the event - the area surrounding the temple where chairs with cushions had been put up. There were volunteers to guide people; footwear storage counters manned by helpful young men who even unlaced the shoes of the infirm and the elderly.