Kincardine man proud of the building of Ram temple in Ayodhya, India

Hindus have waited for centuries to realize their dream of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, India. Here, a mosque was built by a Mugal invader over the Ram temple, and now the original state of the temple is being reinstated, according to the honourable Supreme Court of India verdict.

The Ram temple is linked with Indian ancient culture, and building it will help the people of India to rebuild and reconnect with their ancient past.

It will be a momentous day of pride for millions of Indians and Hindus in the world when prime minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for the great Ram Mandir (temple), Aug. 5, and sets the stage for the grand return of Lord Ram to the temple, which is planned to be completed within the next three years.

Besides the “Ram Lala” in the core, the temple will have a 251-metre Shri Ram statue, accompanied by a cultural, historical, and spiritual museum. This particular temple holds great significance during the Hindu festival called Diwali.

The main purpose of Diwali is to observe Lord Ram’s return from 14 years of exile and the victory of good over evil. Many believe the ‘Bhoomi poojan’ Aug. 5 signifies Lord Ram’s “rightful return from exile."

As a matter of pride, love, and peace, many Hindus and people from other faiths around the world will light up their houses with diyas or candles to mark the special event while maintaining social-distancing. This is a landmark for all Ram bhakts (devotees) and followers of our ancient culture. It is also a great homage to all those who sacrificed their lives to reach this proud, peaceful moment.

This is a proud moment for me as I have memories of visiting “Ram Lala” in Ayodhya many times with my parents and most recently, in 2019 with my family. I believe that faith grants us peace; and providing service to others brings balance to the inner-self and goodwill among people.

The unfortunate part of our current education system in India is that it doesn’t give us an adequate understanding of what our ancient history and culture are.  Unfortunately, much of Indian history is taught to us in terms of the invaders of our land and I hope that this will change with the new Indian National Education Policy 2020.

Although I live in Canada and am engaged in many citizenship volunteer activities in the areas of education, environment, spiritualism, and diversity, I always admire and proudly bring forward my ancient roots, cultures, and religion without lessening others.

I believe that our ancient culture is very flexible, has respect for all, and can be an ally to liberalism. I strongly encourage our friends to understand our culture, religion, traditions, history, governance, and bring forward the hidden message of service, love, and peace among all.

Congratulations to all for this proud moment of building the temple during the auspicious time of Shri Krishna Janmashtami and Raksha Bandhan.



Chandra Tripathi of Kincardine visits “Ram Lala” in Ayodhya, India, in 2019; photo courtesy of Chandra Tripathi