Ram Lalla's idol to be taken to Ram Mandir today
The idol of Lord Ram Lalla will be brought inside the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Wednesday. This event marks the second day of week-long rituals before the scheduled Pran Prathishtha ceremony on January 22. A procession, including the black stone idol created by Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj, will arrive at the temple for parisar pravesh (entry to premises). Devotees will also bring water from the sacred Saryu river in kalash (pots) to the temple as part of the ritual.
Why does this story matter?
The much-anticipated consecration (pran pratishtha) ceremony for the Ram Mandir is set to take place on January 22 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The temple complex will be open to the public on January 23. Ayodhya is abuzz with activity and security arrangements have been strengthened in the city to prepare for the upcoming mega event.
What rituals will be conducted on Wednesday
After the arrival of the idol on Wednesday, there would be Jalayatra, Teertha puja, Brahmin-Batuk-Kumari-Suvasini puja, Vardhini puja, and Kalshayatra, per Ram Mandir's chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das. It will be followed by a perambulation of the idol, he said. The idol, which weighs between 150-200 kg was placed on a truck decorated with flowers late at night for the procession. It will be placed inside the temple on Wednesday and officially installed in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday.
Ram Mandir trust posts update on consecration rituals
Mysuru sculptor's Ram Lalla idol selected for Ram Mandir
A Ram Lalla idol created by Karnataka sculptor Arun Yogiraj has been selected for installation at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir. The idol has been carved out of stone and depicts the deity as a five-year-old boy in a standing posture. The current idol of Ram Lalla, which has been worshipped for the last seven decades, will also remain in the sanctum sanctorum of the new temple.
Political row over Ram Mandir event invitations
The invitations for the high-decible Ram Mandir consecration ceremony have triggered a political row with many opposition leaders saying that they will not be attending the event. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have declined the invitation, labeling it as "clearly an RSS/BJP event."
Now, Sharad Pawar declines invitation to Ram Mandir inauguration
Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday declined the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir. In a letter to Champat Rai, general secretary of Shriram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra, he said that he would visit the temple at a later date. "The devotees of Lord Ram are enthusiastic to witness the ceremony... The joy will reach me through them. After January 22, it will be easier to take the darshan of Ram Lalla," the letter said.
