LIVE | Ram Lalla consecrated; advent of new era, says PM Modi

Devotees at Ram ki Paidi, ahead of Ram temple consecration ceremony, in Ayodhya. Photo: PTI

 

Devotees arrive for the Ram Mandir 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. Photo: PTI

 

Singer Hariharan arrives for the consecration ceremony. Photo: PTI 

 

Religious fervour grips Madhya Pradesh; CM Yadav to offer prayers at Orchha temple

People across Madhya Pradesh woke up to the chants of "Jai Shri Ram" on Monday morning, ahead of the Ram temple idol consecration ceremony in Ayodhya city of Uttar Pradesh.

'Prabhat Pheris' (morning group processions) were taken out in localities of various districts where men, women and children dressed in colourful attires and holding saffron flags sang devotional songs in praise of Lord Ram amid the beating of drums.

Temples across the state wore a festive look with the fragrance of incense sticks filling the air around them.

Since morning, people flocked temples in various cities of the state to offer prayers and greeted each other with the chants of "Jai Shri Ram".

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will go to the Ram Raja Temple at Orchha, which is also called as Chhoti Ayodhya, in Niwari district of the state, to offer prayers.

Devotees believe that Lord Ram stays at Orchha during the day and goes to Ayodhya at night.

Speaking to reporters in Ujjain on Sunday, CM Yadav appealed to the people to make the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya a historic event.

Schools and colleges in MP were closed on Monday, which has also been declared as a dry day.

Slaughterhouses and shops selling meat and fish also remained shut.

The urban development department had issued a directive to civic bodies to ensure that meat shops and slaughterhouses remain closed on Monday.

The MP government has also ordered the closure of its offices and institutions for half a day.

Government offices will remain closed till 2.30 pm so that people can participate in the Ram temple consecration celebrations, said a government notification issued last week. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Celebs, invitees arrive in Ayodhya for Ram temple event, multi-layered security put in place

The invitees to the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple continued to arrive at the temple town on Monday morning with locals and devotees gathering on both sides of the road waving saffron flags and dancing to the tunes of songs dedicated to Lord Ram.

Religious fervour gripped Ayodhya with biting cold failing to dampen the spirits of those who have flocked here to witness the historic moment. The holy town is all set to welcome Lord Ram with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to participate in the consecration ceremony.

Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar arrive in Ayodhya

The invitees who arrived early this morning included RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Anupam Kher, Kailash Kher, Jubin Nautiyal, Prasson Joshi, Manoj Joshi, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Ravishankar Prasad and Anil Ambani.

Hema Malini, Kangana Ranaut, Sr Sri Ravishankar, Morari Bapu, Rajnikant, Pavan Kalyan. Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Shefali Shah and Sonu Nigam arrived in Ayodhya on Sunday.

'Ram dhun' played in the streets from early morning, as security personnel kept a tight vigil across the Ayodhya districts.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- will be attended by people from all walks of life, including representatives of major spiritual and religious sects of the country and of various tribal communities and prominent personalities.

According to temple trust, all invitees will have a bell which they will ring during the aarti. Army helicopters were shower flower petals during the aarti.

The ceremony will begin at 12:20 pm, and according to the temple trust, it is expected to end by 1 pm. Following this, the prime minister will address the gathering.

"The prime minister will also interact with 'shramjeevis' associated with the construction of the temple," a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is in charge of the construction and management of the Ram temple, said.

Modi will also visit Kuber Tila, where an ancient Shiv temple has been restored. He will perform a 'pooja' there, the member said.

The magnificent Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir has been constructed in the traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet, width 250 feet and height 161 feet. It is supported by 392 pillars and has 44 doors.

The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods and goddesses. The idol of Ram Lalla has been placed in the sanctum sanctorum on the temple's ground floor.

The consecration rituals for the 'Pran Pratishtha' started from the Saryu river on January 16 and will be completed on Monday afternoon on the 'Abhijeet Muhurta', according to the trust.

Special festivities at temples across India 

Lakhs of people are expected to watch the event live on TV and online platforms as the Central government has announced a half-day off on January 22 and many states followed suit.

Temples across the country have announced special festivities on the occasion. From Washington DC to Paris to Sydney, events have been also planned in various parts of the world by either the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) or Hindu diaspora groups.

Fourteen couples from various parts of India will be the 'yajmaans' (hosts) for the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla. The idol was sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj and was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple last Thursday.

The Ram temple has been decorated with "rich stocks" of flowers and special lights and the entire city is drenched in religious fervour.

Streetlights on flyovers have been decorated with artwork depicting Lord Ram as well as cutouts of bow and arrow, and ornamental lampposts carry designs themed on the traditional "Ramanandi tilak".

A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony, with 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the movement of people. Police personnel in plain clothes have been deployed at the venue.

Movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them can be spotted at every prominent crossroads in the temple town, as police use them to regulate traffic, especially during VVIP movements. Multiple NDRF teams trained to tackle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, drowning incidents and disasters like earthquakes have also been deployed.

While more than 7,000 people are on the list of invitees for the event, the select list features 506 A-listers. Business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani are among the prominent people invited to the event.

Those attending the "Pran Prathishtha" also include people linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Almost all opposition leaders invited to the ceremony have declined to be in attendance, with the Congress calling it a "BJP-RSS event".

The consecration ceremony 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. The Hindu litigants argued that the Babri Mosque was constructed at the site of a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram.

In 1992, the 16th-century mosque was demolished by "kar sevaks". 

(With inputs from agencies)

#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | Veteran cricketer Anil Kumble says, "It is a wonderful occasion, a very divine occasion. Blessed to be a part of this. It's very historic. Looking forward to seeking blessings from Ram Lalla..." pic.twitter.com/zKodiqk1bG

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Shastri, Yog Guru Ramdev, Swami Chidanand Saraswati arrive at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony pic.twitter.com/YeIDxixdyr

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh performs pooja at his residence ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya. pic.twitter.com/Kw3Fl3TV04

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | Actor Anupam Kher says, "Historic! Wonderful! I had never seen such an atmosphere for Hindu religion ever before. This is bigger than Diwali. This is the real Diwali...Maryada Purushottam Ram symbolised goodness and a sense of sacrifice. Today,… pic.twitter.com/zYORDFWvqs

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath greets people as he arrives at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya

Ayodhya Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony is taking place today. #RamMandirPranPrathistha pic.twitter.com/eCxBLmkOVu

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2024