Hours before the pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed religious leaders who have arrived at the temple town for the grand event.
“Hearty welcome and greetings to the saints and religious leaders coming from all over the country and the world for the consecration ceremony of the new idol of Shri Ram Lalla in the Prabhu Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Shri Ayodhya Dham. Your dignified presence in Shri Ayodhya Dham will further strengthen our commitment towards ‘Ramrajya’,” Mr. Adityanath said in a post on X on Monday.
Mr. Adityanath also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the ceremony. “Hearty welcome and greetings to the respected Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi ji, the architect of cultural renaissance in ‘New India’, at Shri Ayodhya Dham,” the U.P. CM wrote on X.
Mr. Modi arrived in Ayodhya at 10.30 a.m.
The consecration ceremony took place in the presence of the Prime Minister and several other dignitaries, including the U.P. Governor Anandiben Patel, Mr. Adityanath, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. More than 7,000 guests were invited to join the event.
Rituals in the run-up to the ceremony were conducted by 121 priests, with the noted Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid directing the anushthan (rituals) proceedings, and Lakshmikant Dixit of Varanasi serving as the main priest for the pran pratishtha. Mangal dhvani (auspicious sound) commenced at the temple from 10 a.m., just before the consecration ceremony.
