Ram Temple Inauguration: Ayodhya Witnesses Festive Fervour As Stage Set For Grand Ceremony

The 'Pran Pratisha' ceremony will begin at 12.20 pm and is expected to end by 1 pm on Monday.

The temple complex will be opened to people from January 23 onwards. ( Image Source :PTI )

After a prolonged wait of 500 years, the Ayodhya Ram Mandir will finally be inaugurated on Monday (January 22), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the 'Pran Pratistha' rituals. 

The 'Pran Pratisha' of the idol of Ram Lalla will begin at 12.20 pm and is expected to end by 1 pm on Monday, following which the prime minister will address a gathering of more than 7,000 people, including seers and prominent personalities, at the venue.

Lakhs of people are expected to watch the event live on TV and online platforms, with many states declaring a holiday while the Centre has announced a half-day.

The temple complex will be opened to people from January 23 onwards.

On Thursday afternoon, the new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj, was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The first image of the new idol with eyes covered with a cloth was released on Friday.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

The grand Ram temple has been decorated with flowers and special lights and the entire city is drenched in religious fervour or as is the common refrain among the locals, "Ayodhya Rammay ho raha hai," reported PTI.

Streetlights on flyovers have been decorated with artworks depicting Lord Ram, including cutouts of bow and arrow, and ornamental lamp posts carry designs themed on the traditional "Ramanandi tilak".

Guest List

While more than 7,000 people are on the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers.

Those attending the "Pran Prathishtha" also include people linked to the agitation for the temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, and sporting icons Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni are among the prominent people to be invited.

Almost all opposition leaders invited to the ceremony have declined to attend the ceremony, with the Congress calling it a BJP-RSS event.

Global Celebrations

As the grand 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony draws near, temples across the country and abroad have announced special festivities to mark the occasion.

From Washington DC to Paris to Sydney, events have been planned in various parts of the world on January 22. These programmes are either being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or Hindu diaspora groups in 60 countries.

Security Arrangement

The government is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the big day with police personnel deployed across the city as part of a multi-layered security plan.

Movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them can be spotted at every prominent crossroad in the temple city, as police use them to regulate traffic, especially during VVIP movements.

Multiple NDRF teams trained to tackle chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks, drowning incidents, and disasters like earthquakes have been deployed.

The administration has made arrangements to deal with any health emergency, especially because of the biting cold. Beds have been reserved at city-based and district hospitals and the medical college here. Specialists from AIIMS have provided focused emergency response training to doctors at healthcare institutions.