Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led the religious ceremononies and rituals for the much awaited ‘Pran Pratishtha’ (consecration) of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, top industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Anil Agarwal among other prominent personalities representing different walks of life viz. sports, social work, academia, films etc.
The consecration, which saw the light of the day after a protracted court case(s) and the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya, is reckoned as catalysing cultural and spiritual renaissance in the country.
The much publicised event, which was televised live over national and private news channels apart from live feed over internet portals, happened a few months before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when Modi will seek a third consecutive term at the Centre.
Interestingly, the consecration has drafted the opposition in a tight spot vis-a-vis the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). An explicit cricism of the event has the propensity to disenchant the majority Hindu community, while sailing in the same boat as the saffron party could distance their core constituency or vote banks in the run up to the polls.
Meanwhile, Modi termed it a historic day, likening it to a “nation rising by breaking the mentality of subjugation, a nation drawing courage from every hurt of the past to script a new history.”
Later addressing nearly 8,000 dignitaries and special invitees, Modi said ‘Ram Lalla’ (the presiding deity) would not be in a “tent” any longer, a reference to the makeshift temple set up after the demoliion of the disputed structure.
Describing the temple as a symbol of peace and harmony, exhorting the “critics” of the temple to reflect, he said the naysayers had apprehended the construction of the temple would lead to unrest. “…they failed to fathom the purity of India’s society.”
The Lord Ram temple, built in the Nagara style, is based on a design by Chandrakant Sompura and his son Ashish. The idol of Lord Ram was sculpted as a monolith by Arun Yogiraj of Mysuru.