India's Prime Minister Modi Inaugurates Hindu Temple in Ayodhya

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Monday a giant new Hindu temple, which is built on the site where a historic mosque was destroyed decades ago by radical Hindus, in the north Indian pilgrimage town of Ayodhya.

The contentious place of worship in the state of Uttar Pradesh stands on the razed site of the 16th-century Babri mosque, which was pulled down by Hindu fanatics in 1992, sparking widespread riots in which more than 2,000 people died.

The incident also boosted the political fortunes of the Hindu nationalist bjp party, led by Modi, in Hindu-majority India, leading it to form its first government in 1996.

Hindus believe the mosque was built at the site of the birthplace of their god Ram.

Radical Hindu groups have compared its significance to that of Mecca for Muslims or the Vatican for Christians.

The Ram temple at Ayodhya has been one of the BJP's long-standing election promises, and Modi laid its foundation stone in August 2020.

The prime minister celebrated the opening on Monday with Hindu priests and several thousand guests while millions of people watched a live broadcast of the celebrations.

Guests included prominent business leaders, film stars, and sports personalities.

In 2019, the country's highest court ultimately ruled that Hindus had the right to build their temple on the disputed piece of land.

Analysts see the inauguration of the shrine as an unofficial election campaign kick-off for Modi, who has been in office for 10 years and is hoping for a third term in the parliamentary elections in a few months.