Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas visited India’s Ram Mandir temple this week amid continuing controversy over its construction on top of a former Muslim holy site.
Since its opening in the north Indian city of Ayodhya, several Bollywood stars have visited the site. Nick and Priyanka arrived Wednesday with their 2-year-old daughter, Malti.
The massive structure, opened earlier this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was built on the site of a mosque destroyed by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992.
“Blessings for the little one and the family,” Priyanka said in an Instagram post with photos from their trip to the temple.
The 41-year-old Bollywood-turned-Hollywood actor has been criticized in the past for her support of Modi’s government, which has been accused of oppressing caste and religious minorities in the country. She’s made several appearances with the prime minister, even inviting him to her 2018 wedding in Delhi.
Nick and Priyanka’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment on their visit.
The Ram Mandir was built on the site of Babri Masjid, built in the 1500s. The ground has been one of religious conflict for years, yet in 2019 India’s Supreme Court ruled a Hindu temple could be constructed there.
The project cost $217 million and was heavily criticized by Muslim and progressive groups.
“We are laying the foundation of India for the next 1,000 years from this moment,” Modi said at the temple’s inauguration in January.
