Email this article 
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Ram Temple in Ayodhya Fundraising Campaign
- Authors: Zaytsev A.A.1
-
Affiliations:
- nstitute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: No 3 (2025)
- Pages: 58-64
- Section: Politics, economics
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/0321-5075/article/view/286344
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0321507525030078
- ID: 286344
Cite item
Open Access
Access granted
Subscription Access
Abstract
The article examines a campaign conducted by the religious organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP, “World Hindu’s council”) with the help of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Foundation (“Pilgrimage Square of Lord Rama’s Birthplace”), established by the Government of India, to collect funds for the restoration of the Rama Temple in the city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on the site of the Babur Mosque, which was destroyed in December 1992. The restoration of the temple is one of the main points of the Hindutva ideology, which has been dominant in India since 2014 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power and Narendra Modi was appointed as Prime Minister of India. The largest contribution to the restoration of the temple was made by the religious organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which organized religious processions in support of this initiative and then took control of collecting funds for the construction. The article shows how money was collected for the temple, how it was spent and what results were achieved during the campaign and after it.
About the authors
Andrey A. Zaytsev
nstitute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Email: andrey.zaytsev1998@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4099-3804
Post-graduate student, Centre for Indian Studies Moscow, Russia
References
- Vanina E.Yu. 2004. History in Politics: The Struggle for the Past in Modern India. South Asia: Conflicts and Compromises. Moscow. Pp. 138–168. (In Russ.)
- Vanina E.Yu. 2014. India: History in History. Moscow. 343 p. (In Russ.)
- Klyuev B.I. 1991. India: Religion in Politics and Public Consciousness. Moscow. 211 p. (In Russ.)
- Klyuev B.I. 1999. Dangerous Liaisons. Asia and Africa today. № 12. Pp. 5–61. (In Russ.)
- Klyuev B.I. 2002. Religion and Conflict in India. Moscow. 240 p. (In Russ.)
- Kutsenkov A.A. 2010. The Many Faces of Hindutva. Vostok/Oriens. № 4, pp. 59–74. (In Russ.)
- Kutsenkov A.A. 2010. The Many Faces of Hindutva. Part 1. Vostok/Oriens. № 2, pp. 79–94. (In Russ.)
- Kashin V.P. 2001. Ayodhya is a ticking time bomb. Asia and Africa today. № 11. Pp. 23–28. (In Russ.)
- Kashin V.P. 2007. Under the Saffron Flag. Asia and Africa today. № 7. Pp. 78–84. (In Russ.)
- Glushkova I.P. 2007. Religious Identity and National Integration Policy in India. Religion and Conflict. Moscow. Pp. 223–265. (In Russ.)
- Timofeeva M.V. 2014. Conflict in Ayodhya: History of the Issue and Current State. Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 13: Oriental Studies. № 1, pp. 72–83. (In Russ.)
- Remizova E.S. 2021. Ram Janmabhoomi Movement in India: An Attempt to Mobilize the Hindu Majority on a Religious Basis. Economic, Socio-Political, Ethno-Confessional Problems of Afro-Asian Countries. № 4, pp. 323–330. (In Russ.)
- Singh S. This is how world’s largest crowdfunding project was achieved in Ayodhya? The Print. 10.01.2024. https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/this-is-how-worlds-largest-crowdfunding-project-was-achieved-in-ayodhya/1912804/ (accessed 22.05.2024)
- Das Y.S. How the Ayodhya Ram temple became a mandir of the masses. India Today. 22.01.2024. https://indiatoday.in/sunday-special/story/ram-mandir-inauguration-temple-movement-vhp-rss-fundraising-drive-masses-connectedayodhya-2482499-2023-12-31 (accessed 22.05.2024)
- Kapoor S. Ayodhya Ram Mandir: How much money was spent and what does UP stand to gain? The Economic Times. 22.01.2024. https://bfsi.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/ayodhya-ram-mandir-how-much-money-wasspent-and-what-does-up-stand-togain/107045031#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Economic%20Times,₹3%2C500%20crore%20in%20donations. (accessed 22.05.2024)
Supplementary files
