Building a Nation-State: The Ram Mandir and the Return of Hindu Nationalism in India

Abstract

The Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India that was consecrated on January 22nd, 2024. This paper analyzes the history of the Babri Masjid, the campaign for the Ram Mandir, the temple’s features and consecration ceremony, and the existing literature to demonstrate the association between the temple’s construction and rising Hindu nationalism in the country. Through this research, this paper asserts that the Bharatiya Janata Party was insistent on completing the Ram Mandir and enacting Hindu nationalist policies in order to gain the support of the country’s majority Hindu population. The temple is of large symbolic relevance, as it represents the materialization of the desires of the Hindu population and the emergence of a Hindu nation due to the reigning political party’s involvement. This begs the question of what the BJP can complete next to keep their momentum of support, which this paper argues is an increase in conflict with Pakistan and the stripping of the rights of the Kashmir region. Finally, this issue of Hindu nationalism in India is important as it endangers the non-Hindu Indian population, especially Muslims, and grants Hindus more rights than their fellow non-Hindu citizens.