Ayodhya: Ram Lalla’s pran pratishtha took place at the appointed hour in Ayodhya’s newly-constructed Ram Mandir Monday afternoon, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducting the ceremony watched by over 8,000 invitees and crores around the country and the world.
The cloth covering the eyes of the 51-inch black idol of Ram Lalla was removed shortly after 12.20 pm during the auspicious 84-second window of the pran pratishtha — making him a ‘living deity’.
The Prime Minister applied kajal in the eyes of the deity and showed him the mirror. He also inaugurated the Jatayu idol inside the temple premises.
The idol was adorned with jewellery, crowned in gold, and ornate necklaces of emerald, diamonds and rubies, as Modi said the prayers, flanked by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
अयोध्या धाम में श्री राम लला की प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा का अलौकिक क्षण हर किसी को भाव-विभोर करने वाला है। इस दिव्य कार्यक्रम का हिस्सा बनना मेरा परम सौभाग्य है। जय सियाराम! https://t.co/GAuJXuB63A
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024
The idol of Hindu god Ram as a child wore a silver and red tilak on his forehead, and held a golden bow and arrow. Long garlands with red, yellow, green and purple flowers also bedecked the black statue.
At the exact time of the historic consecration, a helicopter of the Indian Air Force showered rose petals on the temple and the invitees below, as prayers continued for nearly an hour to the occasional instrumental refrain of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. The ceremony began with a mangal dhwani (or an auspicious sound).
The ceremony took place between 12.15 and 12.45 pm during the abhijeet period, which is considered the most auspicious. Rituals had taken place for one week leading up to 22 January. The puja on Monday was performed by yajman Anil Mishra with his wife Usha.
Clad in an off-white dhoti and kurta, the Prime Minister walked through decorated mandaps to the garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum, which, at 20 feet in length and width and at a height of 161 feet, is the among the largest in the world.
The Prime Minister prostrated himself before the idol in a sashtang pranam. At the end of the ceremony, he took a round of the temple alone.
The temple, which when complete will be the world’s third-largest Hindu temple, is designed in the north Indian nagara style.
The inauguration comes months ahead of the general elections.
Festivities started early in Ayodhya on Monday morning as priests, Bollywood actors, industrialists, politicians, sportspersons began arriving at the temple, which is 250 feet wide, 380 feet long and 161 feet high.
While army helicopters showered flower petals as guests arrived, the invitees rang bells that they were given by temple authorities during the aarti.
Modi will also take out a road show after the pran pratishtha.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)