Ayodhya set for consecration; new beginning, says Bhagwat

New Delhi, Ayodhya: As the nation eagerly anticipates the historic event in Ayodhya, where thousands will witness the consecration ceremony (Pran Pratishtha) of the Ram Mandir, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat emphasised on Sunday that the entry of Ram Lalla into His birthplace and the temple's consecration ceremony marks the beginning of a campaign for the "reconstruction of Bharatvarsh." This campaign, according to Bhagwat, is centred around fostering harmony, unity, progress, peace, and the overall well-being of the populace, symbolising a reawakening of national pride.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath, Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Priest of the temple Acharya Satyendra, and other dignitaries, is set to participate in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony within the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on Monday. The government has implemented comprehensive security measures, deploying police personnel across the city as part of a multi-layered security plan.

The Pran Pratishtha ceremony is scheduled to commence at 12.20 pm, expected to conclude by 1 pm. Following the ceremony, Prime Minister Modi is likely to address a gathering of over 7,000 people, including seers and prominent personalities. Temples both in India and abroad have announced special festivities to coincide with the event, with fourteen couples from various parts of India serving as hosts for the Pran Pratishtha.

Beyond India's borders, events have been planned in cities such as Washington DC, Paris, and Sydney, organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu diaspora groups in 60 countries on January 22.

Preceding the Pran Pratishtha, consecration rituals began on January 16, culminating in the placement of the new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj, in the temple's sanctum sanctorum on Thursday. The first image of the new idol with eyes covered with a cloth was released on Friday. The grand Ram temple, constructed in the traditional Nagara style, is set to be 380 feet long (east-west direction), 250 feet wide, and 161 feet high, boasting 392 pillars and 44 gates across its floors.

Multiple NDRF teams trained for various emergency scenarios, including chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents, drowning, and earthquakes, have been deployed. Health emergency preparations have also been made, with beds reserved at city-based and district hospitals, and specialised training provided by AIIMS to healthcare professionals.

Ayodhya has been adorned with flowers and lights in preparation for the grand occasion, with a citywide atmosphere immersed in religious fervour. Artworks depicting Lord Ram embellish streetlights on flyovers, and ornamental lamp posts carry designs themed on the traditional "Ramanandi tilak."

Slogans like "Shubh Ghadi Aayi," "Taiyar hai Ayodhya Dham, virajenge Shree Ram," and "Ram fir lautenge" are featured on posters and hoardings across the city, while verses from the Ramayana adorn prominent places like Ram Marg, the Saryu River bank, and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk.

Various events, including Ramlilas, Bhagwat Kathas, Bhajan sandhyas, and cultural programmes, are ongoing in Ayodhya, with community kitchens serving 'langar' food to devotees. Public sector banks, insurance companies, financial institutions, and regional rural banks across the country will remain closed for half the day on January 22, along with a trading holiday announced by stock exchanges NSE and BSE.

While more than 7,000 people are invited to the event, the select list features 506 A-listers, including those associated with the temple agitation. Notably, most Opposition leaders have declined the invitation, with the Congress calling it a BJP-RSS event. However, people from various parts of the country are making their way to Ayodhya in unique ways, such as walking, cycling, and skating.

From Lord Ram image-adorned bangles to 56 varieties of "petha" and from traditional items like a 500-kg iron-copper "nagada" and the "Onavillu" bow to offerings of rice, ladoos, and vegetables, a diverse array of gifts are flooding in from across the country. Also featured in the list of gifts are special perfumes from Kannauj, 500 kg "kumkum" leaves from Amravati, grains collected at a Ram temple in Delhi, flowers from Bhopal, and papers with Lord Ram written 4.31 crore times from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara.

The Ram temple management committee has received other offerings such as a 108-foot incense stick, a 2,100-kg bell, a giant lamp weighing 1,100 kg, gold footwear, a 10-foot-high lock and key, and a clock that simultaneously denotes time in eight countries, among others.

More than 3,000 gifts from Sita's birthplace in Nepal's Janakpur have also arrived. A Sri Lankan delegation brought a special gift from the Ashok Vatika, a garden mentioned in the Ramayana.

The consecration ceremony comes after the first phase of the temple's construction, made possible by a historic Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit. The Supreme Court's balanced verdict followed years of legal struggle, ultimately leading to the commencement of the temple's construction.

In an article posted on the RSS website, Mohan Bhagwat highlighted the end of the "continuous struggle of the Hindu society" for the temple's construction, emphasising the need to put an end to the "conflict and bitterness" surrounding the dispute.

Bhagwat said from a "Dharmic" point of view, Lord Ram is the "most worshipped deity" of the majority society in the country and is still accepted as an ideal of conduct by the entire society.

Bhagwat urged the enlightened people of society to ensure a complete resolution of the dispute, stating "Ayodhya means a city where there is no war, a place free from conflict. On this occasion, in the entire country, reconstruction of Ayodhya is the need of the hour and also the duty of all of us."