All eyes are on the temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, where the ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration ceremony) Monday of an idol of Ram Lalla marked the culmination of the decades-long Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Nearly 7,000 invitees including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, among others, attended the ceremony organised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra — the trust tasked with overseeing the development and management of the newly constructed Ram temple.
Ayodhya, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram, was transformed into a 21st-century temple town ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha’ and is expected to attract as many as 4-5 lakh devotees from around the world each day once the gates of the temple are opened to the public.
Ayodhya ‘pran pratishtha‘ highlights:
4.30 pm: Updates to this blog have ended.
3.30 pm: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust shares the first official picture of the idol of Ram Lalla placed inside the garbhagriha of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
भए प्रगट कृपाला! pic.twitter.com/ARbwzYZ2SF
— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) January 22, 2024
3.15 pm: PM Modi, after addressing those gathered for the consecration ceremony, interacts with invitees before offering prayers at the at ‘Kuber Tila’ Shiv temple and meeting workers involved in the construction of the Ram temple.
2.45 pm: Referring to the temple in Ayodhya as the “temple of national consciousness”, the Prime Minister appeals to all Indians to work towards collective good of society and nation-building. “Ram is the faith of India, Ram is the foundation of India. Ram is the idea of India, Ram is the law of India…Ram is the prestige of India, Ram is the glory of India…Ram is the leader and Ram is the policy. Ram is eternal…When Ram is honoured, its effect does not last for years or centuries, its effect is for thousands of years…” Modi says.
“This grand Ram temple will witness the rise of Viksit Bharat,” he adds.
2.30 pm: “Today, our Ram is here after centuries of wait,” PM Modi says as he began his address to invitees following the consecration of an idol of Ram Lalla at the newly constructed temple in Ayodhya.
“Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will now live in this grand temple. What has happened, it is being felt by Ram devotees in every corner of the world; this moment is divine, this instance is pure, this atmosphere, this force is Lord Ram’s blessing,” he says. The Prime Minister adds that “22 January 2024 is not just any other date in the calendar, it is the beginning of a new kaal chakra (era)”. He also said that the “events of this day will be discussed even a thousand years from now”.
“We have to lay foundation of the India of the next thousand years,” says Modi.
Also Read: Ram Lalla to have 24X7 security cover, only gunner & priest to be allowed near idol
2.15 pm: Addressing invitees after the consecration ceremony, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat says all Indians must take steps to usher in “Ram Rajya”. This, according to him, will entail “having to let go the habit of fighting over petty disputes. He adds that dharma has four basic foundations: “Satya (truth), Karuna (compassion), Shuçhita (purity), Tapas (asceticism).”
02.00 pm: Starting his address with chants of “Bharat Mata ki jai”, UP CM Yogi Adityanath says, “This moment has arrived after a wait of 500 years, I find it difficult to find words to describe how I feel…at this moment, every city and village in India is Ayodhya Dham, every road is leading to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi.” He added that it “appears as if we have returned to the Treta Yuga” — one of the four yugas, spanning over 3,600 years.
“Lucky are those part of the next generation for they are witness to this Ram Rajya,” the chief minister says. He then speaks at length about the various infrastructural works in Ayodhya, adding that the temple town is being developed as a “solar city”.
The UP chief minister also refers to the Ram temple as the “national temple”.
1.45 pm: Addressing invitees at the Ram temple, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust treasurer trustee Swami Govinda Dev Giri lauds PM Modi for adhering to a rigorous 11-day ‘Anushtaan’.
1.30 pm: Following the conclusion of the consecration, UP CM Yogi Adityanath presents PM Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat with replicas of the Ram temple made of silver.
01.00 pm: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar writes on X: “At the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony today, the soul of a civilisation finds expression once again. And the message of virtue, honour, justice and commitment reverberates around the world.”
Also Read: Ram temple in Reels—a massive project is on to make Ayodhya cool
12.45 pm: With the consecration underway in the garbhagriha, Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers showers flower petals over invitees seated on the premises of the Ram temple.
12.30 pm: The consecration ceremony concludes and the face of the idol of Ram Lalla is unveiled, marking the end of the wait for devotees who have been eager to catch a glimpse of the deity at the temple in Ayodhya.
12.15 pm: Rituals leading up to the consecration ceremony commence in garbhagriha of Ram temple with PM Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel and UP CM Yogi Adityanath in attendance.
Also Read: This is how world’s largest crowdfunding project was achieved in Ayodhya
12.00 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Ram temple. He is scheduled to carry out a tour of the temple premises before taking part in the consecration ceremony. According to a statement issued by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, the ‘pran pratishtha’ is to be conducted precisely during an 84-second window between 12:29:03 pm to 12.30:35 pm, which the temple trust referred to as ‘abhijit muhurat’.
11.30 am: Follow ThePrint’s coverage of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement:
“Govind Vallabh Pant and Lal Bahadur Shastri, who were in the state government at that time, all wanted Ram temple but only one person was opposing it— (Jawaharlal) Nehru,” alleges former Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj. READ MORE
Arun Nehru saw the advantage in pushing Hindu issues even without bothering to consult Rajiv Gandhi. We can never be certain but all the evidence suggests that it was Arun who had the locks of the Ram Temple/Babri Masjid in Ayodhya opened. READ MORE
Former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao froze in fright as the kar sevaks readied themselves to bring down the Babri Masjid in December 1992, says Congress leader and former diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyar. READ MORE
11.00 am: PM Modi has landed in Ayodhya and is currently headed to the Ram temple to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’.
Also Read: Ayodhya is holding its breath for greatness. ‘If you build it, they’ll come’
10.30 am: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat arrives in Ayodhya. In a column he wrote for The Indian Express Monday, Bhagwat asserted that the “advent of Shri Ram Lalla in Ram Janmabhoomi and his ‘pran pratishtha’ is the beginning of the campaign for reconstruction of Bharatvarsh”.
(Inputs by Neelam Pandey from Ayodhya)
10.00 am: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has arrived at the Ram temple in Ayodhya ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha’. Earlier in the day, the BJP leader welcomed saints and religious leaders who are expected to attend the consecration ceremony set to begin around noon. The presence of such esteemed dignitaries, Yogi Adityanath said in a post on X, will “further strengthen the commitment towards Ram Rajya”.
Also Read: Ram Aayenge is the new Ayodhya anthem. But race to sing at Ram temple opening heating up
9.45 am: Seventy three years ago, a consecration like the one in Ayodhya stirred up a storm with some calling it an erosion of India’s secular credentials and others hailing it as the restoration of a broken link from the past. In this episode of Cut The Clutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta looks at that epoch-making event and the lessons it held for India.
9.30 am: “From today, Ram Rajya will begin with Pran Pratishtha. All the inequalities will be over…And everyone will live in harmony,” Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, told news agency ANI ahead of the consecration ceremony Monday.
9.15 am: Thousands of devotees from around the world are headed to Ayodhya. Among them is Neelam Devi (60) from Bihar’s Siwan who arrived in the temple town with her family ahead of the consecration ceremony. “Our dream to see Ram mandir has finally been fulfilled. I am very happy,” she told ThePrint Monday.
(Inputs by Sagrika Kissu from Ayodhya)
9.00 am: Follow ThePrint’s coverage of Ayodhya’s transformation into a 21st-century temple town:
Municipal Commissioner Vishal Singh is part of the workforce comprising city planners, administrators, architects, and others tasked with transforming the landscape of the temple town, which is central not only to the faith of billions but also lies at the core of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideology. READ MORE
To make the station convenient for passengers and staff, AC retiring rooms, women and men dormitories, lodging rooms for staff, dedicated rooms for station masters and women employees have been set up at Ayodhya’s sprawling new railway station. READ MORE
The labour colony, popularly known as L&T colony, in Ayodhya is teeming with construction workers. The first phase of construction, integral to the inauguration, includes the completion of the ground floor, entrance and sanctum. READ MORE
White cottage tents, wooden reclining chairs, air conditioners, sofas and LED TVs — a sumptuously appointed city of tents sprawls near the banks of the Sarayu. It’s one of 15 such encampments springing up in Ayodhya to cater to around 1 lakh people. READ MORE
The state government is constructing six entry gates and bridges over rivers Kalyani, Gomti, and Rari. A 67.5-km-long ring road connecting Ayodhya, Gonda, and Basti is also in the works, undertaken by NHAI at a total cost of Rs 4,793.88 crore. READ MORE
8.45 am: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in a post on X (formerly Twitter) extended “heartfelt wishes” to PM Narendra Modi for ‘leading the sacred rituals in the presence of yajmans, saints and seers guiding the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’.
“January 22 is etched in history as defining moment of ‘tryst with divinity’ in our civilisational trajectory, he wrote.
Congratulations on this epochal day of #RamMandirPranPratishta 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
8.30 am: Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Vicky Kaushal, Katrina Kaif, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Ayushmann Khurrana were photographed making their way to Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony that is expected to begin around noon.
8.15 am: With hours to go for the consecration ceremony, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra shared a video Monday morning of preparations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
अवधपुरी अति रुचिर बनाई।
देवन्ह सुमन बृष्टि झरि लाई॥ pic.twitter.com/V2sabn8XEN
— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) January 22, 2024
Also Read: ‘Each minute feels like an hour’ — Ayodhya ecstatic as final countdown to ‘Ram Rajya’ begins
12.30 am: The consecration ceremony is expected to begin sometime between 12 pm and 1 pm Monday. Prior to the ‘pran pratishtha’, a series of rituals was conducted at the temple over the course of the past week. This was preceded by the arrival of the idol of Ram Lalla on 17 January. The idol was carved by renowned Karnataka-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj.
12.15 am: According to the itinerary shared by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reach Ayodhya at around 10.25 am. He will then make his way from the newly built Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham, to the Ram mandir via helicopter. Upon arrival, the Prime Minister — who laid the foundation stone of the temple in August 2020 — will survey the premises.
Also Read: Ayodhya is being rebooted, rebuilt, & reimagined— Gen Z pilgrims, luxury hotels, 3D shows