The grand ‘Pran Prathistha’ (consecration) ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is all set to take place on January 22. The ceremony will begin at 12:20 pm and is expected to end by 1 pm, though the celebrations will begin early in the morning on Monday.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will be inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries including UP CM Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, and president of the temple trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
Government offices, boards, and corporations in several states have declared a half day or a holiday on January 22.
Significance of Ayodhya Ram temple
The Ayodhya Ram mandir is considered one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Ayodhya is considered the birthplace of Lord Ram and so, is considered a sacred place. The foundation stone for the Ram mandir was laid on August 5, 2020, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who created the Ram Lalla idol?
Crafted by sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka, the ‘Ram Lalla’ idol stands at 51 inches and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The depiction showcases Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus made from the same stone. The complete look of the idol was unveiled on Friday which showed the deity’s face as well as a golden bow and arrow.
Who oversees the Ram temple?
The temple is managed by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The trust, created by the central government on the orders of the Supreme Court, is also overseeing the construction of the temple, which has an area of 2.7 acres, according to its website. The construction of the Ram Temple was undertaken by Larsen and Toubro (L&T), with the technical assistance from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
Celebrities invited to Ram Mandir inauguration
Over 7,000 people have been invited by the temple trust, and they include cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikant, Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.
Invitations have been sent to Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and his wife and author Sudha Murty, S N Subrahmanyan of the L&T Group, Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu and former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad.
Darshan timings of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir
Ram Mandir will be open for devotees from January 23. The darshan timings are divided into two slots — from 7 am to 11.30 am and 2 pm to 7 pm. To attend the aarti, individuals need a pass issued by the trust, for which a valid ID proof must be presented.
How to reach Ram Mandir?
The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya can be reached by road, railway, or by air. The Maharishi Valmiki Airport in Ayodhya has recently been inaugurated connecting the temple city to the rest of India. PM Modi has also inaugurated Vande Bharat Express from Ayodhya to New Delhi.
Several public and private service buses that operate regularly to Ayodhya are available. Buses from Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Delhi, and other major cities are provided by the Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation.
Cost of Ram temple construction
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra had estimated in 2022 that ₹ 1,800 crore will be spent in building the grand Ram temple. In October last year, a PTI report said that the trust spent ₹ 900 crore on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya between February 5, 2020 and March 31, 2023.
Notably, people can also watch the Ram Mandir inauguration online. Viewers can log on to NDTV’s website and social media handles to virtually take part in the inauguration ceremony. Users can click on ndtv.com/live. The updates will also be provided on NDTV live blog. The event will also be streamed live on NDTV’s regional websites, as well as NDTV India portal.
