Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya today, appealed to people to celebrate the auspicious day by lighting diyas to welcom Lord Rama to their homes.
"Today Ram Lalla is seated in his grand temple in Ayodhya Dham. On this auspicious occasion, I request all the countrymen to light the Ram Jyoti and welcome him in their homes also. Jai Siya Ram! #RamJyoti," PM Modi posted on X with a video clip.
Meanwhile, the ‘Pran Pratishta’ of Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya was celebrated by devotees across the country today. Devotees thronged their local temples in every village and city. Special pujas are being offered at various shrines. Also, special arrangements have been made to watch the live telecast of the ‘Prana Pratishta’ at various places including temples.
'Extraordinary moment' says PM Modi
“Our Ram has come,” PM Modi said in his address that followed the consecration, which also marks the inauguration of the temple. It is expected to open Tuesday to the public.
"The extraordinary moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lalla's life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine programme. Hail Siya Ram!" he tweeted earlier.
He performed a series of rituals at the temple, with the ‘pran pratishtha’ taking place during the 84-second 'Abhijeet muhurta'. At the end of the rituals, the PM prostrated himself before the idol, which depicts the child Ram.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Outside, Ayodhya resident Anil Singh called it a “priceless moment” that he would treasure forever.
“As a resident of Ayodhya, I feel proud that I live in this spiritual city,” he said.
Leaving the sanctum sanctorum, the PM moved to another location to address a gathering of about 8,000, which included seers, people linked to Ram Janmabhoomi movement and celebrities from fields like entertainment, sports and industry.
He also visit Kuber Tila shrine and interacted with workers who built the temple.
The PM ended his 11-day fast he undertook ahead of the ceremony by accepting “charnamrit” offered by temple trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri.
Senior BJP leaders including party chief J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah watched the live streaming of the consecration ceremony.
The run-up to the consecration ceremony, which takes place just months before the Lok Sabha elections, was marked by sparring between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.
Top Opposition leaders skipped the temple inauguration, calling it an RSS-BJP event. But Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is the son of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, arrived at the venue.
Several states had declared the day a holiday to allow people to watch the ceremony on tv and also take part in events at neighbourhood temples.
The new idol depicts Ram at the age of five, and was carved from black stone by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj. It was draped in a yellow dhoti, and adorned with stone-studded jewellery and flowers in shades of red, yellow and purple. Fifty traditional musical instruments from across the country were part of a devotional "mangal dhwani" that resonated during the ceremony. Orchestrated by Ayodhya's celebrated poet Yatindra Mishra, the rendition was supported by New Delhi’s Sangeet Natak Akademi. The instruments included pakhawaj, flute and dholak from Uttar Pradesh, veena from Karnataka, algoja from Punjab, sundari from Maharashtra, mardala from Odisha, santoor from Madhya Pradesh, pung from Manipur, nagada and kali from Assam and tambura from Chhattisgarh.
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