'After Centuries Of Sacrifice...': PM Modi Extends Wishes On Ayodhya Ram Mandir Anniversary

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended best wishes on the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of the RAM temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. In a post on X on Saturday, January 11, PM Modi said, "This temple, built after centuries of sacrifice, penance and struggle, is a great heritage of our culture and spirituality."

"I am confident that this divine and magnificent Ram templ will become a great inspiration in the accomplishment of the resolution of a developed India," PM Mod said.

An idol of the new Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22, 2024. It was a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also gave a clarion call to go beyond the grand mandir's construction to build the foundation of a "strong, capable and divine" India of the next 1,000 years.

As the inauguration of the temple marked the culmination of a decades-long campaign, mostly under the Hindutva banner, to reclaim a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, PM Modi said it was the advent of a new era.

The first anniversary celebrations of the Ram Lalla idol consecration ceremony in Ayodhya started on Saturday. A large number of devotees reaching the holy city to take part in events. The court of Ram Lalla is decorated with flowers.

The anniversary celebrations began with the recitation of Yajurveda. Religious and cultural programmes will commence in the Ram Temple complex starting Saturday, news agency PTI reported.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to perform the 'abhishek' of Ram Lalla. The grand aarti of the deity will take place around 12.20 pm, followed by an offering of 56 dishes to the deity.

The celebrations were scheduled from January 11 to 13. The grand event includes classical cultural performances, rituals, and daily Ram Katha discourses at the pavilion and Yagnashala.

Common people, who were unable to attend the historic ceremony last year, will be part of the celebration, alongside around 110 invited VIPs, according to the temple trust.

A German hangar tent has been installed at the Angad Teela site, capable of hosting up to 5,000 people. Common people will have the opportunity to witness

"The trust has decided to invite common people who could not attend the initial consecration ceremony last year. They will be allowed to join all three days of events at Angad Teela," Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had earlier said.

The trust also said that invitation letters have been distributed to guests, including the 110 VIPs, many of whom missed the original pran pratishtha ceremony on January 22, 2024. "Those unable to attend last year will be included in this anniversary celebration," Rai had said.

The pavilion and Yagnashala will serve as key venues for these festivities, providing a rare opportunity for the public to be part of the ongoing celebrations.

The Trust has already extended invitations to saints and devotees from across the country, with Rai urging residents and pilgrims to participate in the celebrations, making at least a one-day visit during the three-day festival and experience the spiritual atmosphere of Ayodhya.

Anup Mishra, a local resident who has reached the temple to witness the anniversary celebrations, told PTI, "We were not able to reach the Ram Janmabhoomi when the Pran Pratistha was done in January 2024, but this time we are fortunate enough to reach the court of Ram Lalla on the first anniversary."

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