‘Better future’: India’s Ayodhya sees business boom with Ram temple launch

Ayodhya is getting an economic boost as it gears up for millions of tourists to see the controversial Ram temple. His monthly orders for banners have doubled to 60,000 now from a year ago, and he’s opened a manufacturing unit to make replicas of the Ram temple, a new business line for him, he said. We hope to witness more hikes once the Ram temple opens up for the public.” The duo are not alone as several thousand traders in the region have been doing brisk business ever since construction for the temple started in 2020, months after the Supreme Court of India handed control of the disputed religious site of 2.77 acres to Hindus. “We have suffered a lot in the past three decades since the movement for building the Ram temple intensified in the 1980s as there were frequent strikes and shutdowns called by different outfits constructing the temple,” said Sushil Jaiswal, convener of a local business forum that includes 15,000 traders in Ayodhya district. To cater to the expected influx of tourists the state government sanctioned one billion rupees in the last financial year, money that is being spent on renovating several temples and other recreational places in the city, said Rajendra Prasad Yadav, deputy director of tourism of the Ayodhya division.