The grand ‘Pran Prathistha’ (consecration) ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is scheduled to occur on January 22. Commencing at 12:20 pm and anticipated to conclude by 1 pm, the celebrations are set to commence early in the morning on Monday.
The inauguration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will witness the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, including UP CM Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Governor Anandiben Patel, and the president of the temple trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
In several states, government offices, boards, and corporations have declared a half-day or holiday on January 22.
The Ayodhya Ram Mandir holds immense significance as one of the most crucial pilgrimage sites for Hindus, being considered the birthplace of Lord Ram. Ayodhya, thus, is revered as a sacred place. The foundation stone for the Ram Mandir was laid on August 5, 2020, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The ‘Ram Lalla’ idol, standing at 51 inches and weighing 1.5 tonnes, was crafted by sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka. Depicting Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus made from the same stone, the idol’s complete unveiling revealed the deity’s face along with a golden bow and arrow.
The management of the temple falls under the jurisdiction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, a trust created by the central government on the orders of the Supreme Court. The construction of the temple, spanning 2.7 acres, was undertaken by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) with technical assistance from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
Celebrities invited to the Ram Mandir inauguration include cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikant, Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Notable personalities like NR Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty, S N Subrahmanyan, Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, and Venkatesh Prasad have also been extended invitations.
The darshan timings for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, starting from January 23, are divided into two slots—7 am to 11:30 am and 2 pm to 7 pm. Devotees require a pass issued by the trust, along with a valid ID proof, to attend the aarti.
The temple can be reached by road, railway, or air, with the newly inaugurated Maharishi Valmiki Airport connecting Ayodhya to the rest of India. Buses from Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Delhi, and other major cities are provided by the Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation.
The estimated cost of the Ram temple construction is ₹1,800 crore, as projected by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra in 2022. A PTI report in October last year indicated that the trust had spent ₹900 crore on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya between February 5, 2020, and March 31, 2023.
