New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Friday shared an image of the Ram Lalla idol that’s been placed in the Ayodhya temple, days before the pran pratishtha ceremony on 22 January.
The image shows the deity in a standing position, with a garland of roses around its neck. The face of the idol is also visible for the first time.
The 51-inch idol, crafted in black stone by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was brought to the temple Wednesday night amid chanting of prayers, and placed in the sanctum sanctorum Thursday.
VHP leader Sharad Sharma was quoted by news agency Press Trust of India as saying that a yellow cloth covers the eyes of the idol at present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 22 January pran pratishtha ceremony, which will begin at 12:20 pm and is expected to be completed by 1 pm. The temple will be opened to public from the following day.
Rituals leading to the consecration have reportedly already begun at the temple. Prime Minister Modi had also announced earlier that he would follow 11 days of rituals, including fasting, in the run-up to the consecration,
He has also been doing “gau-pooja”, feeding cows, and donating food and clothes.
As part of preparing for the pran pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya, the Prime Minister has been on a pilgrimage tour of the country, visiting temples including the Ramkund and Shree Kalaram Temple in Nashik, Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh, and Guruvayur and Triprayar Sree Ramaswami Temple in Kerala.
He is scheduled to visit more in Tamil Nadu over the next two days.
Modi also launched an initiative to clean temples, and swept the premises of the Kalaram Temple in Nashik. Following his example, several ministers, leaders, and celebrities were seen taking up brooms and mops to participate in the voluntary movement, with #SwachhTeerthCampaign (Clean pilgrimage campaign) trending on social media platform X (previously Twitter).
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