Ayodhya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be in attendance for the pran pratishtha or consecration of the idol of Ram Lalla at the temple in Ayodhya on 22 January, 2024.
Invitations for the ceremony have been extended by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra to nearly 8,000 dignitaries including industrialists Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata. Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, besides cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are also among the invitees.
Sources in the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said invites have also been sent to journalists who supported them in making “the Ram temple a reality”. Among those likely to feature in the list of invitees are Sudhir Choudhary, Rajat Sharma, Arnab Goswami, Shweta Singh, Dainik Bhaskar MD Sudhir Agarwal, Jagran Prakashan CEO Sanjay Gupta and non-executive chairman Mahendra Mohan Gupta, besides India Today editor-in-chief Aroon Purie.
“We have invited journalists who have supported us through our journey. We have invited them formally to attend the event and take darshan as without them this struggle for Ram mandir was incomplete,” a VHP worker told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
Invites have also been sent via post and WhatsApp to saints, priests, shankaracharyas, religious leaders and VVIPs including former civil servants, retired Army officers, lawyers, scientists, poets, musicians and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan recipients.
Of the 8,000 invitees, nearly 6,000 will be religious leaders from from across the country, while the remaining 2,000 will be VVIPs from all walks of life, said a senior VHP functionary.
The VHP worker added that a link will be shared with the invitees in the days leading up to the ceremony. Once they register using the link, a bar code will be generated that will then serve as their entry pass.
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‘Families of karsevaks invited’
The families of nearly 50 karsevaks who died in two separate incidents of police firing in 1990 have also been invited for the ceremony. Tasked with inviting the families, the VHP will also be responsible for arranging food and accommodation for them.
“How can we forget the sacrifice of our karsevaks who gave their lives for the temple? We have invited their families to take part in the pran pratistha,” said a VHP worker.
The families of these karsevaks will be accommodated at the three tent cities erected by the trust. Dozens of open kitchen facilities will also be made available for them.
Further, the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra has through the VHP urged people across the country to visit a nearby temple on 22 January and perform a prayer in the name of Ram for the “safety” of the temple.
“When consecration will take place, we want people across India to perform a prayer at their nearby temple. This way they will virtually attend the Ram Lalla consecration ceremony. Our VHP workers are circulating this message on the ground,” said a VHP worker currently in Ayodhya.
The consecration ceremony will be telecast live on state broadcaster Doordarshan.
Construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is underway in full swing. On Sunday, nearly 1,000 workers were pressed into action to meet the 31 December deadline for completion of the first phase of the temple.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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