<p>In January 2024, Narendra Modi travelled to the northern Indian town of Ayodhya to attend the consecration of a Hindu temple with a very contested history. The site had previously been occupied by a 500-year-old mosque, and had become a focal point of broader disputes between India's Hindu and Muslim communities.</p><p>That fight over one hill in Ayodhya resulted in a demolition, mass protests and deadly retaliations across India. It also gave Modi a cause he could champion throughout his rapid political rise.</p>

In January 2024, Narendra Modi travelled to the northern Indian town of Ayodhya to attend the consecration of a Hindu temple with a very contested history. The site had previously been occupied by a 500-year-old mosque, and had become a focal point of broader disputes between India's Hindu and Muslim communities. That fight over one hill in Ayodhya resulted in a demolition, mass protests and deadly retaliations across India. It also gave Modi a cause he could champion throughout his rapid political rise.

When holy politics turn violent

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most powerful people in the world. Over his ten years in power, he has transformed his nation into an emerging superpower everyone wants to do business with. But he's also created an environment where no journalist is allowed to ask him questions, and many critics are scared of voicing public dissent. As India approaches a general election in May, another Modi victory has already been assumed by most observers.

There are many myths surrounding Narendra Modi's extraordinary rise from a humble tea seller, but how much do we really know about the life of this enormously influential man? There are stories of his association with a supposed paramilitary volunteer group, a secret marriage, and questions about how he has handled India's deadly religious tensions. In this seven-part series, the ABC's South Asia correspondent Avani Dias travels around India in search of answers about who Modi is and how he has shaped the world's most populous nation.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most powerful people in the world. Over his ten years in power, he has transformed his nation into an emerging superpower everyone wants to do business with. But he's also created an environment where no journalist is allowed to ask him questions, and many critics are scared of voicing public dissent. As India approaches a general election in May, another Modi victory has already been assumed by most observers. There are many myths surrounding Narendra Modi's extraordinary rise from a humble tea seller, but how much do we really know about the life of this enormously influential man? There are stories of his association with a supposed paramilitary volunteer group, a secret marriage, and questions about how he has handled India's deadly religious tensions. In this seven-part series, the ABC's South Asia correspondent Avani Dias travels around India in search of answers about who Modi is and how he has shaped the world's most populous nation.

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When holy politics turn violent

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