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The eagerly anticipated consecration ceremony of Ayodhya’s Ram Temple is scheduled for January 22, 2024, more than three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in August 2020. The distribution of over 6,000 invitations has begun, encompassing priests, donors, and various politicians, including PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The ceremony, to be held at the newly constructed Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s sacred city, will witness the participation of not only priests and saints from across the country but also prominent political figures. Ahead of the grand opening, the Uttar Pradesh government plans to organize recitations of Akhand Ramayan and Hanuman Chalisa in major temples across the state from January 14 to 22, adding a spiritual dimension to the lead-up.
The extravagant consecration ceremony is currently in the planning stages, with religious programs outlined by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and the state government. On January 22, the idol of Lord Ram will be ceremoniously installed inside the Ram Mandir, accompanied by a series of festive events.
The construction of the Ram Temple was initiated after the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict on the Ayodhya dispute, leading to the establishment of the “Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Tirtha Kshetra” Trust by the Centre to oversee construction decisions. Commencing on August 5, 2020, when PM Modi laid the foundation stone, the temple’s architecture is based on a design prepared by the Sompura family of Ahmedabad in 1988, with modifications in 2020.
In a special cultural gesture, Thailand is contributing soil to the Ramjanmabhoomi ahead of the temple’s inauguration, following a prior gesture of sending water from two rivers in Thailand to Lord Ram’s temple. The consecration ceremony is poised to be a momentous occasion, symbolizing the fulfillment of a long-standing aspiration for devotees and the nation.
