.BY ONE COUNT there are practically 700,000 Hindu holy places in India. Yet for many supporters it was the one that did not exist-- a building to note the ostensible birth place of Ram, a Hindu god-- that mattered the most. On January 22nd their yearning will certainly involve an end when Narendra Modi, the head of state, venerates the Ram mandir, a huge holy place in the north metropolitan area of Ayodhya. Some 8,000 people will join the ceremony, consisting of credit ratings of authorities from Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Event (BJP) and very important people from 55 nations. Why is the holy place so crucial?