Ayodhya Ram Mandir ceremony tomorrow: The much-awaited ‘pran prathistha’ (consecration) ceremony of the Rsm Lalla idol is set to held in Ayodhya on Monday in grand ceremony, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals. The ceremony will begin at 12.20 PM and is expected to end at 1 PM.
The new 51-inch idol of ‘Ram Lalla’, which has been sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Thursday afternoon in Ayodhya, considered to be the birth place of Lord Ram. The first image of the new idol with eyes covered with a cloth was released on Friday.
Over 7,000 people, including seers and prominent industrialists, film personalities and sportspersons, have been invited to attend the event. After the consecration ceremony, the PM will also address the gathering. Lakhs of people are expected to watch the event live on TV and online platforms.
The Ram Temple has a 500-year-old history and the consecration ceremony that is being held after the first phase of the temple’s construction, made possible by a historic Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit. Hindus believe that the Babri Masjid was constructed at the site of the temple which is believed to be the birth place of Ram.
In 1992, a violent mob of ‘karsevaks’ had demolished the 16th century mosque.
Decorations in Ayodhya
The temple complex, built in the traditional Nagara style, will be 380 feet long (east-west direction), 250 feet wide and 161 feet high. Each floor of the temple will be 20 feet high and have a total of 392 pillars and 44 gates. The grand Ram temple has been decorated with “rich stocks” of flowers and special lights. The temple town is drenched in religious fervour or as is the common refrain among the locals, “Ayodhya Rammay ho raha hai”.
The banks of the Saryu River, which flows through Ayodhya, are also decked up where thousands flock every evening for the “aarti”.
Streetlights on flyovers have been decorated with artworks depicting Lord Ram, including cutouts of bow and arrow, and ornamental lamp posts carry designs themed on the traditional “Ramanandi tilak”.
“Shubh Ghadi Aayi”, “Taiyar hai Ayodhya dham, virajenge Shree Ram” and “Ram fir lautenge”, “Ayodhya me Ram rajya” are among the slogans on posters and hoardings splashed across the city.
Various verses from the Ramayana are also printed on posters at prominent places like the Ram Marg, the Saryu River bank and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk. Ramlilas, Bhagwat Kathas, Bhajan sandhyas and cultural programmes are going on at different places here.
Invitees for Ram Temple
From film industry superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, to sportspersons Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli to industrialists Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani have been invited for the event.
While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers.
Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, lyricist and poet Manoj Muntashir and his wife, lyricist and writer Prasoon Joshi, and director Sanjay Bhansali have also been invited, along with singers Shreya Ghoshal, Kailash Kher.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP president J P Nadda and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and several sitting and former judges, including Ranjan Gogoi have been included in the state guest list.
Several states announce holidays
Several BJP-ruled states and Odisha have declared a holiday while the central government has announced a half-day off. Uttar Pradesh has announced that all educational institutions and liquor shops will remain closed.
Several states have declared half day for all government offices, which will remain closed till 2:30 PM.
Public sector banks, insurance companies, financial institutions and regional rural banks across the country will also remain closed for half the day. Stock exchanges NSE and BSE have also announced a trading holiday.
Security for January 22
A multi-layered security plan is in place for the big day, with police personnel being deployed across the city.
Movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them can be spotted at every prominent crossroad in the temple city, as police use them to regulate traffic, especially during VVIP movements. Multiple teams of NDRF have also been deployed in the town.
The district administration has made arrangements to deal with any health emergency, especially in view of the biting cold. Beds have been reserved at city-based and district hospitals and the medical college here. Specialists from AIIMS have provided focused emergency response training to doctors at healthcare institutions.
Gifts for Ram Lalla
From Lord Ram image-adorned bangles to 56 varieties of “petha” and from traditional items like a 500-kg iron-copper “nagada” and the “Onavillu” bow to offerings of rice, ladoos and vegetables, are some gifts given to Ram Lalla.
Special perfumes from Kannauj, 500 kg “kumkum” leaves from Amravati, grains collected at a Ram temple in Delhi, flowers from Bhopal and papers with Lord Ram written 4.31 crore times from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara, are also some offerings being made to the deity.
A 108-foot incense stick, a 2,100-kg bell, a giant lamp weighing 1,100 kg, gold footwear, a 10-foot-high lock and key and a clock that simultaneously denotes time in eight countries, among others.
More than 3,000 gifts from Sita’s birthplace in Nepal’s Janakpur have also arrived. A Sri Lankan delegation brought a special gift from the Ashok Vatika, a garden mentioned in the Ramayana.