New Delhi: The grand consecration ceremony of Ram temple will be held on January 22 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi presiding over the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and several other dignitaries.
More than 7,000 people have been invited to the ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a priest from Varanasi, will perform the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, which will begin at 12.20 pm and conclude by 1 pm.
The idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, has been selected for installation. The seven-day rituals of the consecration ceremony began on January 16. The rituals include various forms of puja and the idol of Ram Lalla will get a divine bath with 125 urns on January 21.
After the January 22 event, the Ram temple will be opened for worship by the devotees. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists from across India are expected to visit the temple every day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with postage stamps dedicated to Ram temple
In the run-up to the ceremony, PM Modi on January 18 released a series of commemorative postage stamps dedicated to the Ram temple in Ayodhya and a book featuring stamps from around the world honoring the revered deity.
The six stamps within the collection represent key figures and elements from the Ramayana. These include the Ram Temple, Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman, Jatayu, Kevatraj, and Ma Shabri.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a ban on the sale of liquor, meat and fish in the state when the inauguration of the Ram Temple will take place. In addition, schools in several states shall remain closed on the day and all central government offices will be closed for half day.
The state government also plans to initiate helicopter services to Ayodhya from six districts in the state by the end of this month to facilitate the pilgrimage for Ram devotees and tourists.
To beef up security, anti-terrorist squad commandos from Uttar Pradesh have been deployed and police has also introduced artificial intelligence-based anti-mine drones to provide 360-degree security coverage. Ayodhya is under the watchful eye of drones and trained security forces equipped with artificial intelligence.
The live screening of the consecration ceremony at Ram Temple will be done between 11 am to 1 pm on January 22. Channels of Doordarshan DD News and DD National will telecast the event and share a YouTube link with other news agencies to broadcast on their respective channels.
