AYODHYA: The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the newly constructed temple here on Monday amid grand celebrations in the town, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the rituals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya was an extraordinary moment that would make everyone full of emotions.
"It is a matter of great privilege to be part of this divine programme," the prime minister said on X.
Modi made these remarks as he took part in the consecration ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla in the magnificent Ram Temple here.
Dressed in a golden kurta with a cream-coloured dhoti and patka, the prime minister walked into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple holding a silver umbrella on a folded red dupatta.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present inside the sanctorum during the rituals.
Army helicopters showered flower petals on the temple premises when the consecration took place.
"The extraordinary moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lala's life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine program. Hail Siya Ram!," Modi said on X.
Modi will later address the gathering after the ceremony. He is also scheduled to visit the Kuber Tila.
He will also interact with workers associated with the construction of the temple.
At the end of ceremony, Modi prostrated himself before the idol that Modi took part in the 'pran pratishtha' rituals in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
From the sanctum sanctorum, Modi next headed for another location to address a gathering of about 8,000, which included seers, people linked to Ram Janmabhoomi movement and celebrities from fields like entertainment, sports and industry.
He was also slated to visit the Kuber Tila, and interact with workers associated with the construction of temple.
Senior BJP leaders including party chief J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah watched the live streaming of the ceremony.
Top Opposition leaders skipped the ceremony.
But Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is the son of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, arrived at the venue.
Several BJP-run states had declared the day a holiday to allow people to watch the ceremony on tv and also take part in events at neighbourhood temple.
Fifty traditional musical instruments from across the country were part of a devotional "Mangal Dhwani" that resonated during the consecration ceremony.
Orchestrated by Ayodhya's celebrated poet Yatindra Mishra, the grand musical rendition was supported by New Delhi's Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
The instruments included pakhawaj, flute and dholak from Uttar Pradesh, veena from Karnataka, algoja from Punjab, sundari from Maharashtra, mardala from Odisha, santoor from Madhya Pradesh, pung from Manipur, nagada and kali from Assam and tambura from Chhattisgarh.
The run-up to the consecration ceremony, which takes place just months before the Lok Sabha elections, was marked by sparring between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.
The Opposition called it an RSS-BJP event.
The run-up to the temple's inauguration -- only the first phase of the construction is over at this stage -- also saw much religious fervor.
Devotees arrived from several parts of the country to the temple town to be part of the occasion, while being aware that they could not attend the main ceremony.
Ceremonial gates depicting 'Jai Shri Ram' in floral patterns and illumination visible at night added to the aura of the ancient city which has undergone a massive infrastructural growth in the last couple of years, after the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on the temple-mosque dispute.
The 16th century Babri mosque, which many Hindus believe was constructed on the site of Lord Ram's birthplace, was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.
After a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court in November 2019 ruled in favour of the construction of the temple.
It also ordered allotment of a five-acre plot for the construction of a mosque.
