Finally, the day has come to consecrate Ayodhya Ram Mandir and the whole of India is celebrating this event. The Vedic rituals, which began on January 16, were completed by Monday, and the “Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla Idol” ceremony is performed by Varanasi priest Lakshmi Kant Dixit today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The main ‘Pran Prathishtha’ ceremony was completed in 84 seconds during the sacred ‘Abhijit Muhurat’. The historic inauguration of the temple, including the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, was done between 12:20 pm and 12:45 pm. According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the ceremony was enhanced by a spectacular musical event named ‘Mangal Dhwani’.
Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla Idol – Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration
Pran Pratishtha translates to ‘establishing the life force’ or bringing the ‘deity to life’. During the ceremony, the Ram Lalla idol (5-year-old Lord Ram) is transformed into a sacred and divine entity. PM Narendra Modi unveils the Ram Lalla idol at the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya.
The Ram Lalla idol which is installed at Ayodhya’s Ram temple has many significant religious symbols from Hinduism. All 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu are engraved on the idol.
The idol is black as it has been carved out of black stone. This is in keeping with how Lord Ram has been described in the scriptures. The idol is heavily jewelled to reflect the royal trait of Lord Ram.
#WATCH | After Ram Lalla idol unveils at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony
PM @narendramodi performs ‘Dandavat Pranam’ in front of the idol at the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple
Live link – https://t.co/6fpEKwg4dE#AyodhaRamMandir #RamMandirPranPratishta… pic.twitter.com/xMWIiMxeI2
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 22, 2024
Several Bollywood celebrities attended the Ayodhya Ram Temple “Pran Pratistha” ceremony on Monday. Directors Rohit Shetty and Rajkumar Hirani, actors Madhuri Dixit Nene, Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana pose for a photograph at the venue. Kangna Ranaut was also there and continuosly chanting “Jai Shri Ram.”
History of Ayodhya Ram Mandir
The Ram Mandir, also known as the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Rama, located in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. The history of the Ram Mandir is deeply intertwined with the Ayodhya dispute, which has been a source of religious and political tension in India for many years. The city of Ayodhya has long been associated with the birth of Lord Rama, a central figure in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. According to Hindu belief, Lord Rama was born at the site where the Babri Masjid (mosque) was later built.
In 1528, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Babur, a mosque was built at the disputed site in Ayodhya. This mosque was named Babri Masjid.
The dispute over the site emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries when Hindu groups claimed that the mosque was built on the birthplace of Lord Rama. The issue became a major point of contention between Hindus and Muslims, leading to communal tensions.
On December 6, 1992, a large mob of Hindu activists demolished the Babri Masjid, leading to widespread communal riots across India. The demolition resulted in the loss of many lives and escalated religious tensions.
The demolition of the Babri Masjid triggered a legal and political battle over the ownership of the site. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, advocating for the construction of a grand temple at the disputed site.
The legal battle over the site continued for decades. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court, in a landmark judgment, ruled that the disputed land should be divided into three parts, with one-third going to the Sunni Waqf Board (representing Muslims), and the remaining two-thirds to two Hindu parties, including the Nirmohi Akhara and the deity Ram Lalla Virajman.
The legal disputes reached the Supreme Court of India.
On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court delivered a historic judgment, granting the entire disputed land to the Hindus for the construction of the Ram Mandir. The court also directed the government to allocate an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.