What, I asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi when we met last week, should I do to understand the political and religious movement that brought his Bharatiya Janata Party to power? Go to two places, he said: Varanasi and Ayodhya.
This turned out to be excellent advice. To see the hundreds of thousands of people flocking daily to the temples and ghats that line the banks of the Ganges, and to hear the chants of “Jai Shri Ram” (“Hail Lord Ram”) rising spontaneously from throngs waiting to enter the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir (as the new Ayodhya temple is known) is to witness the power of a religious enthusiasm that matches anything in the world. To speak with Hindu scholars and priests about their hopes for a renaissance of Hindu culture and faith after centuries of alien rule, and to hear university students mix religious fervor with nationalist pride, is to observe one of the strongest forces reshaping our world.