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Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India was in grip of religious fervour as long-awaited Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla took place on Monday, 22nd Jan’2024 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and other dignitaries.

The Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Many Hindus believe that Ayodhya Ram Temple located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the mythical birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The Ram temple was inaugurated on 22 January 2024 after a prana pratishtha (consecration) ceremony. On the first day of its opening, following the consecration, the Ram temple received a rush of over half a million visitors, and after a month, the average number of visitors was reported to be “1 to 1.5 lakh (100,000 to 150,000) on a daily basis”

Ayodhya Ram Temple

Shri Ram Mandir or Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Birth Place of Lord Ram

A Hindu temple that is being built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the birthplace of Lord Ram, a principal deity of Hinduism.

The Ayodhya Ram temple construction is being supervised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The ground-breaking ceremony was performed on 5 August 2020 by India’s prime minister Narendra Modi.

Ayodhya Ram Temple Construction Fact

Facts about new Shri Ram Janbhoomi temple under construction

• Total Area: 2.7 Acres
• Built-up Area: 57,400 Sq. ft.
• Length (East-West): 380 Feet
• Floors: 3 (20 ft. each)

• Width: 250 Feet
• Height: 161 feet
• Pillars: 392
• Doors: 44

• Mandap (Hall): 5 (Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandap)
• Parkota: 732 meters x 14 feet (Rectangular compound wall surrounds the temple)
• Corner Temples: 4 (Surya Dev, Devi Bhagwati, Ganesh Bhagwan and Bhagwan Shiv)
• Northern Arm Temple: Maa Annapurna
• Southern Arm Temple: Lord Hanuman
• Proposed Temples in Complex: Maharshi Valmiki, Maharshi Vashishtha, Maharshi Vishwamitra, Maharshi Agastya, Nishad Raj, Mata Shabri and Devi Ahilya
• An ancient Mandir of Bhagwan Shiv has been restored at Kuber Tila, along with the installation of Jatayu statue
• A 21-foot-high granite plinth constructed to protect against ground moisture
• No iron is used anywhere in the temple.

The original design for Ram Mandir was devised in 1988 by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad. The Sompuras have contributed to the design of over 100 temples worldwide for at least 15 generations, including the Somnath temple. The chief architect of the temple was Chandrakant Sompura, assisted by his two sons, Nikhil Sompura and Ashish Sompura, who are also architects.

A new design, with some changes from the original, was prepared by the Sompuras in 2020, per the Hindu texts, the Vastu shastra and the Shilpa shastras. The temple will be 250 feet (76 m) wide, 380 feet (120 m) long and 161 feet (49 m) high. Upon completion, the temple complex became the world’s third largest Hindu temple. It is designed in the Māru-Gurjara architecture of Nagara style, a type of Hindu temple architecture found primarily in northern India. A model of the proposed temple was showcased during the Prayag Kumbh Mela in 2019.

The temple’s main structure has been built on a raised platform with three storeys. It has five mandapas in the middle of the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) and on the entrance passage. The Shri Ram Darbar, located on the first floor, comprises five halls – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthana Mandap, and Kirtan Mandap. In Nagara style, the mandapas are decorated with shikharas. Adorned with deity statues, the temple includes dedicated mandirs for Surya, Bhagwati, Ganesh, and Shiv at the corners.

Annapurna and Hanuman temples are on the northern and southern arms. The foundation features a 14-metre (46 ft)-thick roller-compacted concrete layer resembling artificial rock, with a 21-foot (6.4 m) granite plinth for moisture protection, avoiding iron use. Accessibility is ensured with ramps, lifts, and facilities for the elderly and differently-abled. A pilgrims facility centre for 25,000 people offers medical and locker services. Environmental focus preserves 70% of the 70-acre (28 ha) area as green space, emphasising water conservation.

The temple has a total of 366 columns. The columns have 16 idols each to include the incarnations of Shiva, the 10 Dashavataras, the Chausath Yoginis, and the 12 incarnations of the goddess Saraswati. The width of the stairs are 16 feet (4.9 m). Per scriptures dedicated to the design of temples dedicated to Vishnu, the sanctum sanctorum is octagonal in shape. The temple covers an area of 4.0 hectares (10 acres), while the remaining 23 hectares (57 acres) of land has been developed into a complex with a prayer hall, a lecture hall, an educational facility and other facilities including a museum and a cafeteria.

According to the temple committee, the site has a capability to handle 70,000 visitors. Larsen & Toubro offered to oversee the design and construction of the temple free of cost, and became the contractor of the project. The Central Building Research Institute, National Geophysical Research Institute and the Bombay, Guwahati and Madras IITs have assisted in areas such as soil testing, concrete supply and design.

The construction work has been accomplished with 600,000 cubic feet (17,000 m³) of sandstone from Baansi in Rajasthan. No iron and steel has been used in the construction of the temple, and the fusing of the stone blocks has required ten thousand copper plates. In a culturally significant move, Thailand also symbolically contributed to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir, by sending soil to the Ram Janmabhoomi, building on their prior gesture of sending water from two rivers in Thailand to honour the temple.

According to the temple trust, the final blueprint of Ram Mandir included temples dedicated to Surya, Ganesha, Shiva, Durga, Vishnu and Brahma in the temple grounds.

History of Ram Temple

The site of the temple has been the subject of communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India, as it is the former location of the Babri Masjid mosque, which was built between 1528 and 1529. The idols of Rama and Sita were placed in the mosque in 1949, before it was attacked and demolished in 1992. In 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered the verdict to give the disputed land to Hindus for construction of a temple, while Muslims were given land nearby in Dhannipur in Ayodhya to construct a mosque.

The court referenced a report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as evidence suggesting the presence of a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that was found to be non-Islamic.

On 5 August 2020, the bhumi pujan (transl. ground breaking ceremony) for the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir was performed by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. The temple complex, currently under construction, is being supervised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On 22 January 2024, Modi served as the Mukhya Yajman (transl. chief patron) of rituals for the event and performed the prana pratishtha (transl. consecration) of the temple. The prana pratishtha ceremony was organised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

The temple construction has been accompanied by a $10 billion plan “encompassing a new airport, revamped railway station, and township development” to transform the ancient Ayodhya city into a global religious and spiritual tourist destination. The temple has also attracted a number of controversies due to alleged misuse of donation, sidelining of its major activists, and politicisation of the temple by the Bharatiya Janata Party

1528

Disputed structure was constructed after demolishing the temple that is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.

1853

First religious violence was recorded near the site

1859

Fence was erected to allow separate access to both community members.

1885

Court rejected the plea filed by Mahant Raghubir Das in Faizabad district court seeking permission to build a canopy outside the disputed structure.

1949

Ram & Sita idols were placed inside  the site. The government declares the site disputed.

1984

Committee created to build a temple on the site.

1989

Vishwa Hindu Parishad lays the foundation  for the Ram temple.

1990

Rath Yatra was undertaken by BJP supremo LK Advani

1992

Disputed structure was demolished on 6th December, following which a riot took place between Hindus and Muslims. The Government of India has set up Liberhan Commission.

2010

Allahabad High Court rules to split site between the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, and Ram Lalla.

2011

Supreme Court put a stay order on the Allahabad High Court verdict.

2017

SC calls for ‘out of court’ settlement among all the parties. On August 7, the top court constituted a three-judge bench to hear pleas challenging the 1994 verdict of the Allahabad High Court.

2019

March: SC referred case for mediation by asking the panel to complete all the required proceedings within 8 weeks. However, the panel failed to come to any conclusion.

2019

August: SC begins day-to-day hearing due to the mediation fails. The hearing goes on for 40 days.

2019

October: Hearing concludes The Supreme Court reserved its judgment in the case.

2019

November: SC awards a Hindu group the ownership of the site. The possession of land will remain with the Central government receiver until trust is formed. Orders allocating an alternative piece of five acres of land to the Muslims for a mosque.

2019

December: A review petition in the Supreme Court against its ruling in favor of the Ram temple filed by Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi. This is followed by other review petitions.  Supreme Court dismisses both of review petitions.

2020

February: Muslims accept the five acres alternative land as the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board decided to accept the five acres of land in Dhannipur village at Lucknow-Ayodhya highway for building a mosque.

2020

February: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust of a 15-members announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to oversee construction of a Ram Mandir at the Janam Bhoomi site in Ayodhya.

2020

August 5: PM Modi conducts bhumi pujan of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya for initiation of temple construction, lays foundation stone. The Ram Mandir is likely to be completed in three years.

Significance of Rama

Rama is a prominent Hindu deity who is regarded as a Purnavatara of the God Vishnu. and some Hindus view Rama as Para Brahman (‘The ultimate Brahman‘). Rama holds huge significance in Hindu culture and religion. In the Rama avatar, Vishnu is not supposed to exhibit any of his divine potencies and lead life as a human. As Rama is said to have possessed sixteen ideal qualities, Hindus view Rama as Puruṣottama (lit. ‘The ideal man‘), Vigrahavān dharmaḥ (lit. ‘Embodiment of Dharma‘) and Ādi Puruṣa . According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Rama was born in Ayodhya. Ayodhya is among seven most sacred cities to Hindus.

Pilgrim site

Three places in Ayodhya are considered as prominent puṇya kṣetra (lit. ‘virtued pilgrimage site‘) by Hindus. They are Janmasthāna (lit. ‘The birthplace‘), Svargadvāra (lit. ‘The gateway to Heaven‘) and Yajñasthala (lit. ‘Place where holy sacrifice was performed‘). Temples commemorating these events used to exist in olden days as Janmasthān temple, Svargadvār temple and Trētā-kā-Thākūr temple respectively. However, they were destroyed during Islamic rule in the medieval ages and mosques were built.

While Marxist historians like Irfan Habib agree about the fate of Svargadvar and Treta-ka-Thakur temples, there is some lack of consensus among scholars whether Janmasthan temple was destroyed or not during Medieval rule which eventually led to Ayodhya dispute that was resolved legally.

The Trayodaśakṣarī mantra (Sanskrit: त्रयोदशाक्षरी मंत्र, ’13-character mantra’) also known as Śrī Rāma Tāraka Mantra (lit. ‘The Rama mantra for Salvation‘) is Śrī Rāma Jaya Rāma Jaya Jaya Rāma (Sanskrit: श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम​) and many Hindus believe that chanting it repeatedly lead to salvation. Tāraka means something that carries or helps a Jīva (lit. ‘a living being‘) cross the ocean of samsara. Devotees of Rama such as Valmiki, Tulsidas, Bhadrachala Ramadasu, Samartha Ramadas, Tyagaraja, Purandara Dasa, Gondavalekar Maharaj and Mahatma Gandhi popularised this mantra.

Deity

Ram Mandir is being built to commemorate the birth of Rama at his Janmasthan. Therefore, the presiding deity of the temple is supposed to be the infant form of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. Rama in that infant form was referred as Ram Lalla (lit. ‘Child Rama‘) by Tulsidas. However, the idol of Rama that was placed in 1949 referred to as Ram Lalla Virajman (lit. ‘Installed Child Rama‘) by local Hindus. Ram Lalla was a litigant in the court case over the disputed site in 1989, being considered a “juristic person” by the law.

He was represented by Triloki Nath Pandey, a senior VHP leader who was considered Ram Lalla’s closest ‘human’ friend. As a new idol of the deity got installed in the sanctum sanctorum as the Mūlavirāt mūrti (lit. The main presiding deity), the Mandir Trust has informed that the Ram Lalla Virajman idol of 1949 shall henceforth be used as Utsava mūrti (lit. idol for festivals).

Ram Lalla

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which was inaugurated on January 22, 2024, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has a 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, depicting the deity as a five-year-old boy, in its sanctum sanctorum.

After PM Modi on Monday performed the pran pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla at the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayodhya Ram Temple, the first look of the 51-inch idol was revealed to the world. The idol has been sculpted by Karnataka’s Arun Yogiraj portraying Ram Lalla as a five-year-old. The idol was selected over two others since it captured innocence, divinity, and royalty at the finest, the Trust authorities said.

The idol has been decked with jewellery — several jewellery pieces from head to feet. On its hands, there is a golden bow and arrow. The forehead is adorned with silver and red tilak.

Made of black stone, this statue has an amazing resemblance to the image of Ram Lalla. It’s as if the divine vision of Lord Ram’s childhood avatar has manifested. 

Selection of the Ramlala Murti for Ayodhya Ram Mandir

Three idols will be installed in the Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya, out of which one idol will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum. After their construction, the biggest question was in what form would baby Ram be depicted in the sanctum sanctorum. The sculptors made all three idols so beautiful that it was difficult to choose which one was more beautiful and which one was not as beautiful. Eventually, the decision was made to install the idol as a child in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple.

Who is the maker of the Ramlala idol?

Arun Yogiraj, the renowned sculptor from Karnataka, crafted the idol of Shri Ram. His journey into sculpting began at a young age, with reports indicating that his family has been esteemed sculptors in Mysore for five generations. It’s said that even his grandfather, Basavanna Shilpi, received patronage from the King of Mysore.

Despite briefly pursuing an MBA and working in the corporate sector, Arun Yogiraj returned to his roots and resumed sculpting in 2008. He is credited with several notable sculptures, including the 30-feet statue of Subhash Chandra Bose in Delhi, the 12-feet effigy of Adi Shankaracharya in Kedarnath, and the 21-feet tall figurine of Lord Hanuman in Mysore.

According to the India Today report, the Ram Mandir will enshrine four distinct idols of Ram Lalla: the original Ram Lalla idol, the newly installed idol in the sanctum sanctorum, and the two additional creations by Bhatt and Satyanarayan Pandey.

The alternate Ram Lalla idols

However, there were two other Ram Lalla idols that were also in the race for the coveted spot, but will now be placed elsewhere in the temple complex.

One of them is a white marble idol, sculpted by Satyanarayan Pandey from Rajasthan, which shows Ram Lalla holding a golden bow and arrow, surrounded by an arch that depicts following incarnations of Lord Vishnu: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki, etc. The other one is a black stone idol, carved by Ganesh Bhatt from Karnataka, which features Ram Lalla with Lord Surya on the crown, Surya chakra, and a lion on the idol. The temple trust has assured that both Bhatt’s and Pandey’s creations will be enshrined within the temple precinct.

Ganesh Bhatt’s idol has was carved out of unique black stone, Krishna Shila, sourced from the fertile lands of Hegadadevana Kote in Karnataka’s Mysuru. Its pictures have now been released and has captured the attention of devotees and art enthusiasts alike.

Though not chosen for the central sanctum, the Trust overseeing the Ram Mandir’s affairs has assured that Bhatt’s creation will be enshrined within the temple precinct.

The third Ram Lalla idol was sculpted by Satyanarayan Pandey. It is a white marble idol carved by Rajasthan-based sculptor. It shows Ram Lalla holding a golden bow and arrow. Behind the deity is an arch-like structure that contains smaller sculptures depicting various incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

The Ram Lalla idol shows remarkable craftsmanship as jewellery and clothes adorning the deity are chiselled out of marble. The idol will likely be installed on the first floor of the temple.

Interesting Facts About the Ram lalla Idol

When you look at the special features of the Ram Lalla Idol, there are many admirable qualities. 

• The statue is made of black stone, which has an age of thousands of years. The statue will not be harmed by water. Applying sandalwood, vermilion, etc., will also not affect the statue.
• The weight of the statue is around 200 kilograms. Its total height is 4.24 feet, while the width is three feet. 
•  The statue is in a standing posture on a lotus petal, holding a bow and arrow in its hand.
• The statue is made in the Krishna style.
• On top of the statue, symbols like Swastika, Om, Chakra, Mace, and Sun God are present.
• The right hand of Lord Rama is in a blessing posture. 
• The statue depicts the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu. 
• At the bottom of the statue, on one side is the devoted devotee of Lord Rama, Hanuman ji, and on the other side, Garuda ji.
• This statue is made of black stone. The age of the black stone is thousands of years, it is water-resistant.
• The tenderness of a five-year-old child is reflected in the statue. Applying sandalwood, vermillion, etc., will not affect the shine of the statue.
• The 51-inch tall statue of Ram Lalla is of South Indian style. This statue is kept in an upright position so that people can see it from a distance.

Ayodhya Ram Temple Timetable

Darshan Timing *

Morning Darshan: 06:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Darshan Closed: 12:00 PM – 02:30 PM

After Noon Darshan: 02:30 PM – 10:00 PM

* Shown is current timing, it may change in future

Aarti Timing *

Mangala Aarti: 04:30 AM

Shringar Aarti: 06:30 AM

Bhog Aarti: 11:30 AM

Madhyan Aarti: 02:30 PM

Sandhya Aarti: 06:30 PM

Sayan Aarti: 08:30 PM

* Shown is current timing, it may change in future

Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Temple

Army helicopters showered flower petals on the temple premises when the consecration took place. Crafted by the skilled hands of sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru, the 51-inch-tall idol, captures the image of a five-year-old Lord Ram standing gracefully on a lotus, all meticulously carved from a single block of stone. The grand event saw the presence of around 7,000 VVIPs from across the nation which includes actors, sportspersons, industrialists, politicians, etc.

Constructed in the conventional Nagara architectural style, the Ram Mandir compound is designed to span 380 feet in the east-west direction, with a width of 250 feet and an impressive height of 161 feet. The temple’s vertical structure consists of floors, each measuring 20 feet in height, supported by a remarkable ensemble of 392 pillars and adorned with 44 gates.

PM Modi followed a strict 11-day ‘anushthan’ and slept on the floor and had coconut water before the ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. He also visited several temples across India ahead of the ‘pran-pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir and took a holy dip at the Rameswaram ‘Angi theerth’ beach.

While addressing the gathering in Ayodhya after performing rituals in the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, PM Modi congratulated the people as the hundred years long wait ended on Monday. After the consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, PM Modi encouraged people to “lay foundation of India of next 1,000 years; We take pledge to build a capable, grand, divine India from this moment.” “Ram temple’s construction will set off a firestorm. They should reconsider as Ram is energy, not fire, a solution not dispute,” said PM Modi in Ayodhya on Monday.

Around 20,000 packets of ‘mahaprasad’ were prepared to distribute among the invitees and devotees.

Prana Pratishtha

Prana Pratishtha is the rite or ceremony by which a murti (devotional image of a deity) is consecrated in a Hindu temple, wherein hymns and mantra are recited to invite the deity to be resident guest, and the murti‘s eye is opened for the first time. Practised in the temples of Hinduism and Jainism, the ritual is considered to infuse life into the Hindu temple, and bring to it the numinous presence of divinity and spirituality.

The ceremony marks the recognition of the image of god to represent “a particle of the divine whole, the divine perceived not in man’s image as a separate entity but as a formless, indescribable omnipresent whole”, with the divine presence a reminder of its transcendence and to be beheld in one’s inner thoughts during darsana in the temple.

Ayodhya Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha

Ayodhya Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha refers to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir which was held on 22 January 2024. The event was organized by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

On 22 June 2023, Ram Mandir Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Misra announced that the ground floor of the three-story temple was complete and was expected to open for the devotees in January 2024. The Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust announced that Hindu astrologers, according to Hindu Panchang, have selected 22 January 2024 as the auspicious date for the consecration ceremony. In October 2023, the committee members formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do the Prana Pratishtha of the newly made idol in the sanctum sanctorum.

The trust along with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and city administration carried out extensive preparations to accommodate the large crowds of devotees and the influx of invited guests from all over the world. The Government of Uttar Pradesh announced public holiday in the state and applied strict security measures in and around the temple premises. The security of complete city of Ayodhya was beefed up in view of VIP movements. The Government of India along with some state governments declared a half day holiday marking the event for its employees.

In preparation for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has earmarked ₹100 crore (US$13 million) for ‘Ramotsav’, a series of religious events spanning 826 local bodies across Uttar Pradesh and the Ram Paduka Yatra. Commencing in December 2023, the events were culminated in grand celebrations from Makar Sankranti on 16 January 2024, until the inauguration of the Ram temple on 22 January. The yatras were followed the Ram Van Gaman Path, retracing Rama’s 14-year exile from Ayodhya.

Out of the three idols prepared, the one prepared by famous sculptor from Karnataka Arun Yogiraj was selected to placed in the sacred sanctum sanctorum.

The consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir was complete by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 22 January 2024 from 12:15 PM to 12:45 PM IST.

The trust invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to perform the rituals. Modi was on a special 11-day fast ritual for the consecration at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. In this ritual, he consumed coconut water and fruits and slept on the ground at night.

Prime Minister Modi urged every Indian to light up diyas to mark the occasion and celebrate it like Diwali.

Key Highlights of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Mandir

1 – PM Modi performed the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. Later he performed the ‘aarti’ of the Ram Lalla idol inside the sanctum sanctorum affter the idol was unveiled at the temple in the presence of the prime minister.

2 – After performing the whole ritual, PM Modi addressed the gathering at the temple and congratulated people. “Lord Ram has finally arrived (in his abode) following the wait of centuries. After the patience that we showed for centuries and the sacrifices we made, our Lord Ram has finally arrived,” PM Modi said during his address.

3 – After addressing the gathering, PM Modi offered prayers at Kuber Tila Shiva temple and unveiled Jatayu statue. The ancient Shiv temple located on the Kuber Tila in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex is also being renovated by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is constructing the Ram temple. Later, he showered flower petals upon the workers who were the part of the construction crew of the Ram Mandir.

4 – The stone used to create the 51-inch Ram Lalla idol is special black granite sourced from Karnataka. “The stone is 2.5 billion years old,” confirmed HS Venkatesh, Director of the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) in Bengaluru.

5 – The temple, built in Nagara style, is supported by a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, Gods, and Goddesses.

6 – About 2,500 musicians performed on over 100 stages for the crowds of pilgrims around the elaborate temple, built at an estimated cost of ₹ 1,800 crore that the project’s backers say was sourced from public donations.

7 – More than 100 charter planes landed at the Ayodhya airport, which was built in a record time of 20 months ahead of the big temple ceremony. They were parked at airports like Lucknow, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur.

8 – Special immigration arrangements were made for UK billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who reached Ayodhya directly from London. Mukesh Ambani, along with his family, was also present at the occasion. His family pledged ₹ 2.51 crore to the temple.

9 – The invitation cards carried a barcode known as QR or quick response, which helped a great deal in security arrangements.

10 – Around 20,000 packets of ‘mahaprasad’ were prepared to distribute among the invitees and devotees. The packets, say reports, contained gur ki revdi, ghee mawa ladoo, ramdana chikki, Tulsi daal, akshat and roli, Ram diya and cardamom seeds.

11 – Twenty-two movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them were placed on crossroads and security personnel put in place 10,000 CCTV cameras and deployed Artificial Intelligence-powered drones to keep an eye on the movement of people. Private security also had to be deployed.

12 – Hoping for an “auspicious” start for their newborns, many couples had ‘muhurat deliveries’, planned in consultation with doctors, in hospitals on Monday coinciding with the Ram Lalla idol consecration in Ayodhya.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed Monday’s consecration ceremony as “the beginning of a new time cycle” in a speech to thousands of guests outside temple’s complex.

“Today our Lord Ram has come. After centuries of waiting, our Ram has arrived,” Modi said. “Our Ram idol will not stay in a tent anymore. Our Ram idol will stay in a divine temple now.”
He added: “The sun of 22 January, has brought with it a wonderful aura. 22 January 2024 is not just a date on a calendar but a beginning of a new time cycle.”
“Even a thousand years later, people will be discussing this date and time,” Modi said in his speech.

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