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Ayodhya Ram Mandir celebrates first anniversary of pran-pratishtha ceremony; devotees throng the temple
The actual celebration of the pran pratishtha anniversary took place on January 11 according to the Hindu calendar.
Uttar Pradesh's sacred city of Ayodhya is engrossed in festivity and devotion as it celebrates the first anniversary of the Ram Lalla's 'pran pratisthta' at the Ram Mandir on Wednesday, January 22.
The consecration ceremony took place exactly a year ago, on January 22, 2024, in the presence and lead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Devotees on Wednesday were seen thronging the doors of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on the occasion of the 'pran pratishtha' anniversary.
A devotee from Hyderabad told news agency ANI that him and his family had been planning this visit to Ayodhya for around three months. "Three days before we went to Prayagraj and took a dip (at Maha Kumbh)... It took 500 years of struggle for this moment... Preparations have been made well, whether it be the queue system, security system, or comfortability inside the temple," he added.
Another devotee from Rajasthan said, "We are here to celebrate his (Ram Lalla) birthday. We are very excited... It's his blessings because of which we are here today... Many people worked hard to establish Ram Lalla in Ayodhya."
Notably, the first anniversary of the Ram temple was officially celebrated on January 11, as per the announcement made by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
After consulting with saints and considering the tradition of observing Hindu festivals in accordance with the Hindu calendar (Panchang), the Trust had decided that the annual celebration of the Pran Pratishtha of Prabhu Shri Ramlalla Sarkar will be held on 'Paush Shukla Dwadashi' on January 11. It said that henceforth, this date will be referred to as Pratishtha Dwadashi.
The three-day celebration also features the ceremonial pran pratishtha of Ram Darbar on the temple's first floor, which includes 4.5-foot-tall marble idols of Lord Ram, Mata Sita, Lord Hanuman, and Lord Ram's brothers Bharat, Lakshman and Shatrughan.
“Ram Lalla is enthroned in the temple’s sanctum-sanctorum on the ground floor. On the first floor, we will have Ram Darbar,” Anil Mishra, a member of the Trust, had said.
Uttar Pradesh minister Jaiveer Singh described the day as "historic", saying that "after 500 years of struggle and sacrifices, on this day last year, 'Ram Lalla' became 'virajman' in Ayodhya".
"Today, we have the opportunity to attend the world's largest spiritual gathering of Mahakumbh. It is due to the blessings of God that we have got this opportunity today," he told ANI.
Notably, massive crowds of devotees have been visiting the Ram temple since the beginning of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, that is from January 13.
The temple is bracing for even bigger crowds ahead of the January 29 Shahi Snan on Mauni Amavasya. The Mahakumbh Mela will conclude with Maha Shivaratri on February 26.
When will Ram temple construction be completed?
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Misra on Tuesday said that the construction of the Ram temple complex will be completed at the scheduled time, which is March, a news agency ANI report said.
He said that a review was conducted on Monday and the temple construction will be concluded in March. "Ram Darbaar will be set up on the first floor within this duration only. The works for establishing murtis of idols (iconography) will also be completed in this duration," Misra told reporters.
He further said that the fire post and electrical substation in Bhawan along with the sewage and water treatment plan, whose work has already been completed, will also be transferred to the Ram temple trust in the next 15 days.
(with inputs from ANI, PTI)
