As the much-awaited day for the inauguration of the Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya nears, TOI reported that PM Modi will be offered the highly coveted task of carrying the ‘chal murti’, or moveable idol, of Lord Ram from the temporary temple to the sanctum santorum of the newly constructed Ram Mandir.
According to sources cited by TOI, during the Ram Temple consecration event in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may choose to bypass protocols and walk a distance of more than 500 metres (the distance between the makeshift temple and the sanctum santorum of the newly constructed Ram Mandir) on foot.
PM Modi will probably be accompanied by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Dignitaries in attendance would include RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The main puja when the (Pran Pratistha) consecration of Shri Ram temple will take place is expected to be conducted between 11:45 am and 12:45 pm on January 22 and will be presided over by PM Modi, who will serve as the host or yajman.
Prominent priests from across the nation will take part in the ritual of consecration. One of the three five-foot idols currently being sculpted will be placed as the resident god (achal murti) in the sanctum sanctorum, while the chal murti (the one being worshipped at the current makeshift temple) will be placed at a sacred area after prayers.
Throughout the year, on auspicious occasions, the chat murti will continue to reappear alongside the achal (permanent one).
According to reports, three separate Ram Lalla statues are being made by sculptors on request from the Temple Trust. The trust has, however, not yet decided which of the three idols would be the primary deity in the ground floor’s garbha griha or sanctum sanctorum.
According to sources, one of the two idols that were carved from the best marble from Rajasthan or the darkest granite from Karnataka would be installed in the garbha-griha. However, the formal declaration will come at a later time.
Once it is ready, the second murti will be placed on the first floor, and a Ram Darbar will be built on the temple’s second story.
The day after Makar Sankranti in the following year is when the trust’s lavish consecration ceremony is scheduled to begin. The new deity would be symbolically taken out from the city of Ayodhya and bathed in water from Saryu and other sacred rivers. Following this, over a dozen other religious ceremonies would be conducted before the final prayers and Vedic rituals are carried out on January 22.
According to the TOI report, around 8,000 people nationwide will receive invitations from the trust; 3,500 of them will be sent to politicians, other dignitaries, prominent businesspeople, professionals (including top doctors, advocates, engineers, and actors), and Padma awardees. The remaining invitations will be sent to mutts, saints and seers of various temples, and members of various religious bodies and outfits.
Moreover, some state and national heads will also be invited to the main ceremony, which is set for January 22 of the following year. There would also be invitations to the families of those Karsevaks who lost their lives in police shootings during the Ram Temple movement.
The trust intends to set up seating arrangements for all 8,000 guests who received formal invitations to attend the important religious ceremonies. In addition, the service will be live-streamed via multiple platforms for those who are unable to attend.
Temple Trust invites PM Modi to perform Pran Pratistha of Lord Ram’s idol at the Ram Mandir
Notably, on October 25, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the inauguration of Ram Mandir. PM Modi posted on X that officials of the trust met him at his residence and invited him to attend the event of Pran Pratistha at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
जय सियाराम!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 25, 2023
आज का दिन बहुत भावनाओं से भरा हुआ है। अभी श्रीराम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र ट्रस्ट के पदाधिकारी मुझसे मेरे निवास स्थान पर मिलने आए थे। उन्होंने मुझे श्रीराम मंदिर में प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा के अवसर पर अयोध्या आने के लिए निमंत्रित किया है।
मैं खुद को बहुत धन्य महसूस कर रहा… pic.twitter.com/rc801AraIn
At the same time, ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra’ Trust has also announced that the consecration of the Shri Vigraha of Lord Shri Ramlala Sarkar at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya will be done by the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on January 22, 2024.
With this, the date for the opening of the Grand Ram Mandir had been formally announced.
