Ram Temple LIVE Updates: PM will take part in consecration ceremony on January 22.
New Delhi:
The preparations for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya are in full swing and the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla at the temple will begin today.
The program and worship ritual of Ram Lalla in his new grand temple in Ayodhya on January 22 will start from January 16, while the idol which is to be placed in the sanctum sanctorum on January 18.
Over 7,000 people have been invited by the temple trust and they include cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. The city is getting decked up for the grand ceremony at the temple, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend.
Here are the LIVE Updates of Ram Mandir consecration:
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From Uttar Pradesh’s Pakhawaj to Tamil Nadu’s Mridang, different classical instruments from across the country will be played to celebrate the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, the temple trust has said.
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, said musicians from different parts of India have been selected to perform during the grand function on January 22.
The selected musicians will play different kinds of “vadya yantra” (musical instruments) of Indian tradition from their respective regions, the trust’s general secretary said.
The event will have bansuri and dholak artistes from Uttar Pradesh; veena from Karnataka; sundari from Maharashtra; alghoza from Punjab; mardala from Odisha; santoor from Madhya Pradesh; pung from Manipur; nagada and kali from Assam; tamboora from Chhattisgarh; pakhawaj from Bihar; shehani from Delhi; and ravanhatha from Rajasthan, he added.
Shrikhol and Sarod artistes from West Bengal; Ghatam from Andhra Pradesh, Sitar from Jharkhand; Nadaswarm and mridang from Tamil Nadu; and Hudka from Uttarakhand will also take part in the event.
They will play the instruments when ritualistic chants are not taking place or when someone is not addressing, Rai said.
January 22
Over 100 chartered jets will land in Ayodhya with the invitees for the event. Devotees from 150 countries are expected to attend the ceremony on the final day. From 12:30 pm to 1 pm, the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony will take place and the deity of Ram Lalla will be consecrated.
The temple will be closed for devotees on January 21 and 22 and will be open for people the next day, January 23.
January 19
The holy fire will be lit, followed by the establishment of ‘Navagraha’ and a ‘havan’ (holy ritual surrounding the fire).
January 20
The sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple will be washed with Saryu water on January 20, after which the Vaastu Shanti and ‘Annadhivas’ rituals will take place.
January 21
The Ram Lalla idol will be bathed in 125 urns and will finally be laid to rest.
January 16 to 22
The rituals for the consecration ceremony will begin today. The host appointed by the temple trust, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra will conduct the atonement ceremony. The ‘Dashvidh’ bath, Vishnu worship and offering of cow will be held on the banks of Saryu river.
January 17
A procession carrying the idol of Ram Lalla will reach Ayodhya. Devotees carrying Saryu water in Mangal Kalash will be reaching the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
January 18
The formal rituals will begin with the Ganesh Ambika puja, Varun puja, Matrika puja, Brahmin Varan and Vastu Puja.
Ram Lalla idol sculpted by Mysuru’s Arun Yogiraj has been selected for Ayodhya’s Ram temple, Temple Trust’s general secretary Champat Rai said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in Ayodhya, Mr Rai said the idol of Ram Lalla sculpted by Mr Yogiraj has been selected by the trust from among three idols. The idols have been carved separately by three sculptors, he said.
The new idol is made of stone and weighs “somewhere between 150-200 kgs”, Mr Rai told reporters.
