The idol of Ram Lalla was brought inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the wee hours of Thursday, said Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra. The idol was brought to the temple in a truck.The idol of the deity was lifted using a crane to place it in the sanctum sanctorum where it will be installed ahead of the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony.
A special puja was held in the sanctum sanctorum before the idol was brought inside. The idol will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday. Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra announced the selection of a murti sculpted on Krishna Shila by the acclaimed artist Arun Yogiraj as the Shri Vigraha for Bhagwan Shri Ramlalla Sarkar.
The stone sculpture depicts a five-year-old Ram Lalla and weighs between 150 kg to 200 kg. The current idol of Ram Lalla, which is being worshipped for the last 70 years, will also be kept in the sanctum sanctorum of the new temple.
The rituals in the run-up to the consecration ceremony have already begun and it will continue till January 21. Speaking to the media, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai said that the minimum essential rituals needed for the “Pran Pratishtha” (consecration) of the idol of Ram Lalla will be conducted on January 22.
“The ‘anushthan’ has started and will continue till January 22, the day of the consecration ceremony. Eleven priests are performing the rituals invoking all the “devis and devtas” (goddesses and gods),” Ram temple chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said. There are 121 ‘acharyas’ who are conducting the rituals.
Preparations are underway in full swing for the event, which is expected to be attended by thousands of dignitaries and people from all sections of society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple on January 22.
The auspicious Praan-Pratistha of the Ram Lalla will be held on the upcoming Paush Shukla Kurmadwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, falling on January 22 in the Vikram Samvat 2080 calendar. Following all the Shaastriya (scriptural) protocols, the programme of Praan-Pratistha will be held in the ‘Abhijeet Muhurta’ in the afternoon.
The Ram temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ will begin at 12:20 pm on January 22 and is expected to end by 1 pm. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, holds great spiritual, historical and cultural significance for the people of India.
