Ram temple inauguration: A festival of 'Hindu unity' for Sangh Parivar

With the pran pratishtha ceremony, the RSS looks to overcome all socioeconomic barriers, whether urban-rural, regional and caste, and bring Hindus together, reports Archis Mohan from Ayodhya

The pran pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Monday is more than just a religious event for the Sangh Parivar — it’s a call for Hindu unity across castes and regions. The months-long mobilisation of cadres to collect donations, the door-to-door distribution of akshat, and the request to people nationwide to visit the temple once open to the public, all serve this purpose.
 

The Sangh Parivar, currently at its mightiest, is still mindful of the defeat of its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the December 1993 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. This defeat, at the