New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the auspicious ceremony of installing the idol of Ram Lalla in the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. The ceremony will take place at 12.30 pm and will mark the culmination of a long-awaited dream of millions of devotees of Lord Ram. The members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Construction Committee met PM Modi on Wednesday and invited him to attend the event, which he accepted.
The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is overseeing the construction of the temple, said that the idol of Lord Ram will be consecrated with a 10-day ritual starting from January 14, after Makar Sankranti. The idol will be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, which is being built on the site where the Babri Masjid once stood. The Supreme Court had cleared the way for the temple construction in its historic verdict in 2019.
The idol of Lord Ram is being made by renowned sculptor Anil Sutar, who has also designed the Statue of Unity and other prominent statues in India. The idol will be made of bronze and will depict Lord Ram as a warrior king, holding a bow and arrow. The idol will be about 7 feet tall and will weigh about 1.5 tonnes.
The installation of the idol will be a historic occasion for the country, as it will symbolize the fulfillment of a centuries-old demand for a grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the temple on August 5, 2020, in a grand ceremony attended by several dignitaries and religious leaders. The temple is expected to be completed by 2025 and will have magnificent architecture inspired by traditional Hindu temples.
The trust said that around 10,000 people will be allowed inside the temple premises during the inauguration ceremony. The trust also said that functions will be held in all major temples across the country to celebrate the occasion. The trust appealed to all devotees to join the ceremony through live telecast and pray for the welfare of the nation.
