By Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the newly constructed Ram temple, where they unveiled the idol of Ram Lalla. Sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru crafted the 51-inch-tall idol, depicting a five-year-old Lord Ram standing gracefully on a lotus, meticulously carving it from a single block of stone.
The Ram Mandir compound spans 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.
1) Ram Lalla idol at the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya
2) First visuals of the Ram Lalla idol at the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya was an extraordinary moment that would make everyone full of emotions.
He made these remarks as he took part in the consecration ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla in the magnificent Ram Temple here.
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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.
Minutes before his speech, Modi broke an 11-day religious fast that he had undertaken to prepare for the festivities. He unveiled a statue of Lord Ram, one of Hinduism’s most revered deities, in a consecration ceremony watched by millions.
Modi did not directly mention the Babri Masjid in his speech, nor the country’s Muslims, many of whom feel pain and sadness at the events that have unfolded in Ayodhya.
“Ram is not a dispute. Ram is the solution,” he said. “By moving ahead of building the temple, now we all take the oath of building an India that is capable, successful, beautiful and divine.”
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, where Ayodhya is located, has called the Ram Mandir India’s “national temple” and one that celebrates the country’s “pride.”
Adityanath has governed India’s most populous state since 2017, when the Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed him leader after claiming victory in state polls that year.
But the appointment of Adityanath, a Hindu priest, indicated to some experts that it was yet another sign of the BJP’s Hindutva ideology – which strives to make secular India the land of the Hindus.
Adityanath has since become one of the country’s more polarizing political figures.
Since he took office, the state has already passed legislation that, critics say,It has protected cows, an animal considered sacred to Hindus, from slaughter, and made it increasingly difficult to transport cattle.
Adityanath has been a vocal advocate for the construction of the Ram Temple and attended the consecration ceremony inside the building.
Meanwhile, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the right-wing parent organization of the BJP, declared the temple “has become a symbol of a new India that will stand tall.”
