The inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a 50-year endeavor of the BJP and eagerly awaited by many, is scheduled to take place in the next few hours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is present in Ayodhya and will lead the ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony shortly.
Here are the key updates on this significant event:
1. The consecration ceremony will be celebrated nationwide and by Indians abroad with special prayers and various programs at local temples. The occasion is being compared to Diwali, symbolizing Lord Ram’s homecoming after the battle with Ravan, and temples and homes are adorned with festive lighting.
2. Several celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Vicky Kaushal, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Anil Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, and Saina Nehwal, have reached Ayodhya for the event.
3. PM Modi has undergone strict 11-day religious rituals in preparation for the consecration ceremony. He will address the gathering during the event.
4. Representatives from major spiritual and religious sects, as well as people from various walks of life, including tribal communities, will attend the historic Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
5. PM Modi will interact with the laborers who contributed to building the Ram temple and visit Kuber Tila, where the ancient temple of Lord Shiv has been restored.
6. The temple, built in the traditional north-Indian Nagara style, measures 380×250 feet, with elaborate carvings of gods and goddesses on its 392 pillars, 44 doors, and walls. The sanctum sanctorum houses the idol of a five-year-old Lord Ram.
7. The opening of the Ram temple, a subject of a decades-long political controversy, has been ignored by most Opposition parties, accusing the BJP of using religion for political gain in an election year.
8. BJP has criticized opposition parties for declining the invite and labeled them as anti-Hindu, stating that they will face consequences at the polls.
9. Controversies surrounding the event include the absence of Shankaracharyas from four premier monasteries, who claim that consecration of an incomplete temple is not appropriate and question PM Modi being inside the sanctum sanctorum.
10. The construction of the temple began after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in 2019, allocating the disputed land for a temple and providing an alternate plot for a mosque to Muslims. The issue had escalated after Karsevaks demolished a 16th-century mosque, believing it was built over the birthplace of Lord Ram.
