New Delhi:
The much-awaited inauguration of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will take place today with the ‘pran pratistha’ (consecration ceremony) of Ram Lalla taking place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and about 7,000 distinguished guests.
The ‘pran pratishtha’ at the Ram Mandir will begin at 12:20 pm and is likely to end by 1 pm.
The consecration ceremony had started on January 16 with “prayaschit” and “karmakuti” puja being performed on that day.
The new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, which is carved by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, entered the premises on January 17 and was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple on January 18.
Here are the LIVE updates on Ram Mandir consecration:
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Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi and singer Sonu Nigam have arrived at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony.
#WATCH | Actor Vivek Oberoi and singer Sonu Nigam arrive at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the Pranpratishtha ceremony.
Vivek Oberoi says, “It’s magical, spectacular. I have seen so many images of it. But when you see it before your eyes, it seems that you are… pic.twitter.com/U7YAFATnct
– ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024
Industrialist Anil Ambani has arrived at the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the consecration ceremony.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Industrialist Anil Ambani arrives at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. pic.twitter.com/1YrbKlUOCg
– ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reached the Ram temple in Ayodhya ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony.
After participating in the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla, PM Narendra Modi will interact with the workers involved in the construction of the Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir.
In a video shared by the news agency ANI, Ayodhya’s Ram temple is seen on the morning of the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony day.
#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple all set for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony today. pic.twitter.com/83OeMqYBNs
– ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024
Ayodhya and nearby areas experienced misty weather today morning.
According to the weather department, the temple city is likely to experience ‘cold day’ conditions today, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 15 to 17 degrees Celsius.
A ‘cold day’ is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius below normal, and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below normal.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar today called the ‘pran pratishtha’ at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya an “epochal day”.
Taking to his official X account, he said it is “gratifying” to witness celebratory moment marking “reawakening of national pride all over”.
“January 22 is etched in history as defining moment of ‘tryst with divinity’ in our civilisational trajectory,” he said.
“On this day, let us resolve to inculcate Prabhu Shri Ram’s values of Integrity, forgiveness, bravery, sincerity, humility, care and compassion as a way of life to bring about enlightenment, peace, harmony and righteousness all around,” Vice President Dhankhar added.
Congratulations on this epochal day of #RamMandirPranPratishtha in the historical city of Ayodhya, the #RamJanmbhoomi.
Gratifying to witness celebratory moment marking reawakening of national pride all over.
Heartfelt wishes to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi as he leads,…
– Vice President of India (@VPIndia) January 22, 2024
“Heartfelt wishes to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as he leads, after 11-day rigorous ‘anushthan’, the sacred rituals in the presence of other yajmans, saints and seers guiding the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya,” he said.
Ahead of the Ram temple’s ‘pran pratishtha’ in Ayodhya, a city in Mexico on Sunday got its first Lord Ram temple.
The temple in Queretaro was inaugurated after the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony was performed by an American priest with Mexican hosts and the idols brought from India.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony was performed by an American Priest with Mexican hosts & the idols brought from India. The atmosphere was filled with divine energy as the hymns & songs sung by the Indian diaspora reverberated throughout the hall. 2/2#RamMandirpic.twitter.com/1gsu4Zb086
– India in México (@IndEmbMexico) January 21, 2024
PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the “historic moment” of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will enrich the Indian heritage and culture and take the country’s development journey to new heights.
His remarks came in response to President Droupadi Murmu’s two-page letter to him ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha’ at the Ram temple.
Tagging the president’s letter, PM Modi said in a post in Hindi on X, “Honorable @rashtrapatibhvn ji, Thank you very much for your good wishes on the auspicious occasion of Ram Lalla’s consecration in Ayodhya Dham.” He added, “I am confident that this historic moment will further enrich Indian heritage and culture and take our development journey to new heights.”
माननीय @rashtrapatibhvn जी,
अयोध्या धाम में राम लला की प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा के पावन अवसर पर शुभकामनाओं के लिए आपका बहुत-बहुत आभार। मुझे विश्वास है कि यह ऐतिहासिक क्षण भारतीय विरासत एवं संस्कृति को और समृद्ध करने के साथ ही हमारी विकास यात्रा को नए उत्कर्ष पर ले जाएगा। https://t.co/GdPmx6cluS
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2024
President Murmu in her letter to the PM had said that the nationwide celebratory atmosphere is an uninhibited expression of India’s eternal soul and start of a new cycle in the country’s resurgence.
About five lakh laddus prepared at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain have reached Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.
The laddus, weighing about 50 gm each, will be distributed to devotees as prasad on the occasion, an official said.
Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani and mining mogul Anil Agarwal have also been invited to the Ram temple event.
Mahindra and Mahindra’s Anand Mahindra, Hinduja group’s Ashok Hinduja, Wipro’s Azim Premji, Nusli Wadia of Bombay Dyeing, Torrent group founder and chairperson Sudhir Mehta, GMR Group’s G M R Rao, and real estate baron Niranjan Hiranandani have also been invited.
Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt are on the guest list, which also features Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal, Kangana Ranaut, Madhuri Dixit and BJP’s actor-MPs Hema Malini and Sunny Deol.
Actors Rajnikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Prabhas, Allu Arjun, and Junior NTR have also been invited to the ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple.
Actor Arun Govil, who portrayed Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s iconic TV series “Ramayan”, and his co-star in the show Dipika Chikhlia, who played the role of Goddess Sita, have also been invited.
Several former and present Indian cricketers have been invited for the Ram temple inauguration.
Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Virendra Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have got invites for the Ram temple event.
Former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team Mithali Raj has also received the invitation.
Shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, sprint queen PT Usha, and footballer Bhaichung Bhutia are also among the prominent sports personalities who have received invitations.
ISRO chairperson S Somanath, former ISRO chairperson K Sivan, and ISRO director Nilesh Desai have been invited for Ram Mandir inauguration.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and several sitting and former judges, including Ranjan Gogoi have been invited for the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are on the guest list for the grand Ram Mandir event.
Former presidents Ram Nath Kovind and Pratibha Patil, and former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu are also on the list along with former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and Ranjan Bhattacharya, the son-in-law of former prime minister and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Former Union minister Arun Jaitley’s wife Sangeeta and daughter Sonali, and former Lok Sabha speakers Sumitra Mahajan and Meira Kumar, are on the list too.
A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir. About 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence are keeping an eye on the movement of people and police personnel in plain clothes have been deployed at the venue.
Multiple NDRF teams trained to tackle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, drowning incidents and disasters like earthquakes have also been deployed for the mega event.
Ayodhya’s Ram temple has been decorated with flowers and special lights.
Over 3,000 kgs of flowers of more than 20 varieties have reportedly been used for decoration of the grand structure for the consecration ceremony.
(Images credit: PTI)
The flowers include chrysanthemum, gerbera, orchid, and exotic ones like anthurium and lilium.
These flowers, each variety of different colours, have been brought from Chennai, Bangaluru, Pune, Lucknow and Delhi.
Pillars and walls are adorned with carved statues of Gods and Goddesses.
(Photos credits: Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra)
The Ram Mandir’s dimensions are as follows: length (east to west) – 380 feet, width – 250 feet, and height – 161 feet.
Once completed, it will be a three-story structure with each floor having a height of 20 feet. The temple will have a total of 392 pillars and 44 gates.
(Photo credits: Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra)
The temple will have five pavilions — Dance, Color, Sabha, Prayer, and Kirtan Pavilions.
Entry to the temple is from the east side, climbing 32 stairs from Singhdwar.
The process of ‘pran pratishtha’ has already started from January 16. The ‘prayaschit’ and ‘karmakuti’ puja was performed on January 16.
अयोध्या में जन्म भूमि स्थित राम- मन्दिर में आज दिन में 12:30 बजे के बाद राममूर्ति का प्रवेश हुआ। दोपहर 1:20 बजे यजमान द्वारा प्रधानसंकल्प होने पर वेदमन्त्रों की ध्वनि से वातावरण मंगलमय हुआ। मूर्ति के जलाधिवास तक के कार्य गुरुवार को संपन्न हुए।
दिनांक 19 जनवरी शुक्रवार को प्रातः… pic.twitter.com/F6E9IAoyLM
– Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) January 18, 2024
‘Aushadhivas’, ‘kesaradhivas’, and ‘ghritadhivas’ were organized on January 19, ‘dhanyadhivas’ on January 19, ‘sugardhivas’, ‘fruitdhivas’, ‘pushpadhivas’ on January 20.
‘Madhyadhivas’ and ‘shayadhivas’ took place on January 21.
श्री रामलला सरकार प्राण प्रतिष्ठा अनुष्ठान में आज स्थापित देवताओं का दैनिक पूजन, हवन, पारायण आदि कार्य, प्रातः मध्वाधिनास, मूर्ति का ११४ कलशों के विविध औषधीयुक्त जल से स्नपन, महापूजा, उत्सवमूर्ति की प्रासादपरिक्रमा, शय्याधिनास, तत्त्वन्यास, महान्यास आदिन्यास, शान्तिक-पौष्टिक -… pic.twitter.com/2spjgEisBY
– Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) January 21, 2024
As many as 121 Acharyas will coordinate and monitor all the processes of the ritual of the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.
Varanasi’s Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid will guide all the processes, while Varanasi’s Laxmikant Mathuranath Dixit will be the chief Acharya.
The ‘pran pratishtha’ at the Ram Mandir will begin at 12:20 pm. It is expected to conclude by 1 pm.
The much-awaited inauguration of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will take place today.
The ‘pran pratistha’ (consecration ceremony) of Ram Lalla will be held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and about 7,000 distinguished guests.