Ayodhya is emerging from a time warp. Once a dusty town with poor infrastructure and a tumultuous past, it is on the cusp of becoming India's foremost pilgrimage centre. At the centre of this transformation is the three-storey Ram Mandir-161ft tall, 380ft long and 250ft wide, and exquisitely carved in pink Bansi Paharpur stone from Rajasthan Idols of Ram as a child will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on January 22, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence. The consecration will mark an epochal change in India's history.
The infrastructure development has been rapid. An international airport, a world-class railway station with Vande Bharat trains from main cities, a new township, five-star hotels and highways would link the once-sleepy town to rest of the world. Prospects of fast growth in real estate and tourism have been attracting private investments as well. Ayodhya now faces the burden of changing fast enough to keep pace with the influx of pilgrims from across the world.
Denne historien er fra January 14, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra January 14, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
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Garden by the sea
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RECRUITERS SPEAK
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MORAL COMPASS
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COURSE CORRECTION
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