.BY ONE COUNT there are actually virtually 700,000 Hindu temples in India. Yet for lots of fans it was the one that did certainly not exist-- a building to mark the apparent native home of Ram, a Hindu god-- that mattered the best. On January 22nd their yearning will concern a side when Narendra Modi, the head of state, venerates the Ram mandir, a splendid holy place in the northern area of Ayodhya. Some 8,000 folks will participate in the service, featuring credit ratings of authorities coming from Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Gathering (BJP) and very important people from 55 countries. Why is the holy place therefore crucial?