The temple town of Ayodhya is all set for the consecration of the new Ram Mandir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Ayodhya to take part in the pran pratishtha ceremony.
The prime minister landed at the Maharshi Valmiki International Airport and will travel to the Ram temple in a helicopter to attend the ceremony.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla will begin at 12:20 pm. The idol was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Thursday after the rituals. During the ritual, the first image of the idol was revealed, concealed by a veil.
The ceremony will begin at 12:20pm, and according to the temple's trust, it is expected to end by 1pm. A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals.
Following this, the prime minister will address the gathering. "The prime minister will also interact with 'shramjeevis' associated with the construction of the temple," a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is in charge of the construction and management of the Ram temple, said.
Lakhs of people are expected to tune into the live streaming of the ceremony. The Central government has announced a half-day off on January 22 and many states followed suit.
Celebrations also go beyond the borders, extending from Washington DC to Paris to Sydney. Most of the events are planned by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) or Hindu diaspora groups.
Invitees
Over 7,000 people are on the list of invitees for the event, including entrepreneurs Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, actors Amitabh Bachchan and Chiranjeevi and sporting icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Workers decorate the Ram Mandir ahead of its grand opening in Ayodhya | AP
Those attending the "Pran Prathishtha" also include people linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Almost all opposition leaders invited to the ceremony have declined to be in attendance, with the Congress calling it a "BJP-RSS event".
Ayodhya decked up
The temple town has been spruced up for the event. While Ram Temple has been decorated with "rich stocks" of flowers, artwork depicting Lord Ram as well as cutouts of bow and arrow, and ornamental lampposts carry designs themed on the traditional "Ramanandi tilak" adorn the city.
The magnificent Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir or Ram temple has been constructed in the traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet; width 250 feet and height 161 feet. It is supported by a total of 392 pillars and has 44 doors.
The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods and goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum on the temple's ground floor, the idol of Ram Lalla has been placed.
(With inputs from PTI)
