.BY ONE matter there are almost 700,000 Hindu temples in India. Yet for many enthusiasts it was the one that did certainly not exist-- a monolith to denote the plausible native home of Ram, a Hindu the lord-- that mattered the best. On January 22nd their yearning are going to pertain to a side when Narendra Modi, the prime minister, venerates the Ram mandir, a huge temple in the north metropolitan area of Ayodhya. Some 8,000 people will go to the service, including scores of officials from Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Event (BJP) and also dignitaries coming from 55 countries. Why is the holy place therefore significant?