Ayodhya Ram Mandir news highlights: Ram Lalla idol placement in 'Garbha Griha' on Jan 18; rituals to start from tomorrow

The movement of trains will be affected in Ayodhya from January 16 - January 22 due to the doubling of tracks and electrification work being done ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Ten trains including the Vande Bharat Express have been cancelled whereas 35 trains including the Doon Express will run on alternate routes.

The Vande Bharat Express from Ayodhya Cantt to Anand Vihar was earlier cancelled till January 15 for the track maintenance works. Read More

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday prepared 'laddoos' that will be sent to Ayodhya for distribution as 'prasad' during the idol consecration of the Ram Temple on January 22.

He reached the Mahakaleshwar Temple management committee's 'laddoo' making unit at Chintaman here and inspected the process of preparing five lakh laddoos, officials said.

"He interacted with those preparing the spherical sweet and also made some of them. He helped in the packing as well. Four lakh laddoos, each weighing around 50 grams, have already been prepared. They are being made with besan, rawa, pure ghee and dry fruits," an official said.

The Centre on Monday said it has strengthened the medical facilities in Ayodhya ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple next week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to perform the "Pran Pratishtha" of the idol of Lord Ram at the grand temple in Ayodhya on January 22 in the presence of more than 8,000 guests.

Lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the temple from January 23 onwards and elaborate arrangements are being made in the Uttar Pradesh town for the consecration ceremony and the visit of the devotees.

Secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry Apurva Chandra said a 120-bed hospital in Ayodhya has been upgraded and emergency beds have been added to it.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan on Monday claimed that his comments about Lord Ram were misconstrued and spread everywhere by social media handles of the BJP and, therefore, he has sent a complaint in this regard to the state police chief.

"Our Lord Ram is where Mahatma Gandhi was killed with Hey Ram on his lips near the streets of Birla Mandir. "Our Ram is not that of the BJP. That is a Ram which is being used politically. My statement was poorly misconstrued by BJP social media handles. Wrong comments were attributed to me and spread everywhere. So I have sent a complaint to the DGP," the opposition leader said. Satheesan accused the BJP of carrying out "hate campaigns" and "spreading fake news". "They (BJP) claim to be the only Hindus. They only have a 10 per cent vote bank in the state. So, are the rest of the people not believers? We too go to temples. But we do not sell our faith. They have put their faith up for sale. "That is why we disagree with them. That is why our leadership decided not to take part in the Ram temple consecration ceremony at Ayodhya. They (BJP) have politicised religion and places of worship," the LoP alleged.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday flagged off for Ayodhya a group of seers carrying waters from the sacred rivers of Uttarakhand.

"The forthcoming consecration ceremony at the Ram temple is a long-awaited moment. We have struggled and waited for years for this event," Dhami said while addressing a gathering at the Har ki Pauri here.

"We are blessed to witness the ceremony which has been made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

The waters of the Ganga, Yamuna and other sacred rivers of the state being carried in urns by the seers will be offered to the deity during the 'Pran Prathishtha' of the Ram Lalla idol on January 22.

A week after announcing that he will attend the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22, Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday changed his stand and said he will visit the Ayodhya shrine "whenever I feel like".

The change comes soon after the party brass announced on January 10 that All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Sonia Gandhi declined the invite to the consecration ceremony.

Sanskrit scholar Swami Rambhadracharya Maharaj on Monday slammed the Congress Party for declining the invite for the pran pratishtha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, saying that the grand old party is indulging in 'murkhneeti' not in 'rajneeti'.

While speaking to ANI, Swami Rambhadracharya Maharaj also said that the Congress is doing what an 'angry cat' does.

"It is according to the scriptures. Sanctum sanctorum is complete, and now pran pratishtha is going to take place.... what is wrong with it? It is as per the shashtras. It is 'Murkhneeti' not 'rajneeti'...Khisiyani billi khamba noche (an embarrassed or ashamed person tends to vent his/her feelings by quarrelling)," he said.

"Pran pratistha of Somnath Temple was held in 1951 and the construction of the temple was continued. In 1965, 'Kalash' was placed there...People should read about it. People should not protest just for the sake of protesting..." Rajkumar Das Maharaj of Ayodhya said speaking on Ayodhya consecration row.

Puja items made of silver will be sent to Ram Temple in Ayodhya by a Chennai-based jeweller. The items are anticipated to be used daily during prayers, ANI reported on Monday.

With the Ayodhya gearing up for the pran pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22, the Uttar Pradesh government has tightened security in the city by bolstering surveillance through drones.

The state government has incorporated technologies such as night vision devices (NVD) and CCTV cameras to monitor activities across the city.

Ayodhya IG Praveen Kumar told ANI, "We have tried to incorporate all types of technologies into drones, including NVD, infrared cameras, and CCTV for security."

Additional Superintendent of Police, Pravin Ranjan Singh, said that they are monitoring through drones to catch any unusual activity or things in the city.

"Some people are spreading very misleading things about the pran pratishtha ceremony... I want to tell you that at the time the pran pratishtha of the Somnath temple took place, the 'sanctum sanctorum' and 'Shikhar' of the temple were not completed. Today, God's 'sanctum sanctorum' and 'Shikhar' are ready... So if PM Modi had not been there, this temple would not have been built today..." said Shashikant Das Maharaj.

The Haryana government has declared a 'dry day' on January 22 in view of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Monday.

An official release quoting Khattar said all liquor establishments in the state will be closed on January 22.

The 'pran pratishtha' ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

"I have come here on the occasion of Makar Sankranti to seek blessings of Lord Ram... I came here last year as well... I will not take any political questions on this pious land... We come from a culture where we greet each other with 'Ram Ram'....", he said.

On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti festival, which holds great significance for the Hindu community, transgender sadhus took a holy dip at Prayagraj Sangam in Uttar Pradesh

Lakhs of devotees took a holy dip at Magh Mela on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The group of transgender saints participated, and, after taking the holy dip left for Ayodhya where a grand Pran Prathishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla is going to happen on January 22.

"I prayed to Lord Ram that God gives wisdom to everyone; everyone lives in peace, and there is happiness and prosperity in the country," said UP Congress chief Ajay Rai after visiting Ayodhya.

Speaking about the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya, Jagadguru Sadanand Saraswati said, "We have been waiting for a long time for this moment. This place was disputed for centuries. The temple is being built according to the orders given by the court and now Pran Pratishtha is going to take place... Every devotee of Lord Ram and follower of the Sanatan Dharma is extremely happy. This should have happened long back."

General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Champat Rai on Monday announced that the idol of lord Ram will be placed at its position at the 'Garbh Griha' of the temple on January 18 and Pran Pratishtha will take place at 12.20 pm on January 22.

Addressing a press conference, Rai said that the muhurat (auspicious timing) was decided by Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid of Varanasi.

Few people were seen vandalising the Congress flag outside Ayodhya Ram temple on Monday. A Congress delegation comprising Ajay Rai and Deepender Hooda is on Ayodhya visit today.

Speaking about the Ram Lalla idols selected for installation at the temple in Ayodhya, temple trust gen secy Champat Rai said, “New statue of Ram Lalla sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj selected for installation at Ram temple…Current statue of Ram Lalla will also be kept in sanctum sanctorum of new Ram temple.”

Rai further said that the Ram Lalla idol would be a stone sculpture of "five year" old "Ram Lalla" and would weigh anywhere between 150 kg to 200 kg.

"There are a lot of temples in Mauritius and in all the temples one 'diya' (earthen lamp) will be lit and 'Ramayan Path' will be carried out in all the temples during that day. And at the same time, we'll also follow the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. It has also been decided by various social cultural organizations and the appeal has also been made by the government to light, to celebrate the second Diwali in all the houses...", Mauritius High Commissioner Haymandoyal Dillum said on Monday.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said she has received an invitation for the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and is grateful for it, but a decision on attending it has not been taken yet because of certain party programmes.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a secular party and respects all religions. "In the future, if any such programme is held regarding the Babri Masjid, our party will have no objection to that also," Mayawati said at a press conference organised here on her 68th birthday.