Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya on 22 January. ‘Feel very blessed,’ says Modi on getting invite

Around 4,000 priests and 2,500 eminent personalities are expected to attend. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will also be present during the ceremony.

Construction work of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple underway in Ayodhya | ANI

New Delhi: “Jai Siya Ram,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday as he received a formal invitation for the 22 January consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

“Today is a day full of emotions,” he posted on social media platform X.

जय सियाराम!

आज का दिन बहुत भावनाओं से भरा हुआ है। अभी श्रीराम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र ट्रस्ट के पदाधिकारी मुझसे मेरे निवास स्थान पर मिलने आए थे। उन्होंने मुझे श्रीराम मंदिर में प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा के अवसर पर अयोध्या आने के लिए निमंत्रित किया है।

मैं खुद को बहुत धन्य महसूस कर रहा… pic.twitter.com/rc801AraIn

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 25, 2023

General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust Champat Rai confirmed meeting the PM to extend the invitation, and said that 22 January has been finalised as the date of installation of the Lord Ram idol in the temple’s garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum).

Around 4,000 priests and 2,500 eminent personalities are expected to attend, said Rai. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present during the ceremony.

ThePrint had earlier reported that Rai had said the pran pratishtha (consecration of deity idol) will be done between 16 and 24 January. Some priests from Varanasi had suggested that the best auspicious moment for the ceremony is on 22 January.

Mahant Satyendra Das, the head priest of the Ram temple, had also said that the pran pratishtha of an idol usually takes place after the spire is constructed and a separate puja of the entire temple is performed before that.

The temple complex will include the Ram Mandir, temples of six other deities including Valmiki, Vashisht and Sabari, a pilgrim facilitation centre, a herbal garden, and facilities including an electric substation, a sewage treatment plant and water treatment plant. 

Construction of the entire complex is expected to cost anywhere between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 crore. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had conducted fund-raising campaigns for construction. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), whose international vice-president is Rai, has also actively taken part in fund collection for the shrine.