On January 22, after three years of construction and a century of legal disputes, Ram Lalla’s idol will return to his “janmabhoomi” at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. This will be a momentous occasion for India’s “civilization” and the start of a new era in the holy city.
The much-awaited “Pran Pratistha” event, which is scheduled to start at 12.20 pm on Monday and finish at 1 pm, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For the “Pran Pratishtha,” fourteen couples from different regions of India will serve as the “yajmaans” (hosts).
The PM will then speak to a crowd of about 7,000 people at the location, including celebrities and seers. A live broadcast of the entire event will be available to millions of people in India and beyond. Beginning on January 23, devotees will be allowed to visit the temple.
The entire city exudes a sense of religiosity, with songs like “Ram Aayenge” and “Awadh Mein Ram Aayen Hain” resonating throughout the streets. Artworks of Lord Ram can be found on flyovers and ornamental lamp posts featuring designs based on the traditional “Ramanandi tilak.”
Throughout the city, posters and hoardings with slogans like “Shubh Ghadi Aayi,” “Taiyar hai Ayodhya dham, virajenge Shree Ram,” “Ram fir lautenge,” and “Ayodhya me Ram rajya” are prominently displayed. A number of Ramayana poems are also put on posters at well-known locations, including Lata Mangeshkar Chowk, the Ram Marg, and the Saryu River bank.
Temples throughout the nation and beyond have scheduled special celebrations to celebrate the anniversary, as officials made last-minute preparations in a decked-out Ayodhya, which is said to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.
On January 22, activities are scheduled throughout the globe, including Sydney, Paris, and Washington, DC. Either the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or Hindu diaspora organisations across 60 countries are putting on these activities.
Dedication of the temple follows the first stage of its construction, enabled by a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title challenge. The Hindu plaintiffs contended that a temple commemorating Lord Ram’s birthplace was the location of the Babri Mosque. The 16th-century mosque was destroyed by “kar sevaks” in 1992.
