Ayodhya:
Following his visit to the historic Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he felt an ‘indescribable’ calm after offering prayers to the Lord.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya’s temple was held on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the Vedic rituals, led by a group of priests.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, along with his Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, paid a visit to the grand temple. The families of the two leaders also accompanied them.
“I felt an indescribable calm after offering prayers to Ram Lalla… Lakhs of devotees visit here every day, and it is indeed heartwarming to see the love and devotion people carry. I prayed for the welfare of all,” Chief Minister Kejriwal told reporters.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that it was his long-pending desire to have a ‘Darshan’ of Ram Lalla.
“It was a long-pending desire to visit Ram Lalla… I prayed for the welfare of the country,” he told reporters.
Earlier in January, Arvind kejriwal had turned down the Ayodhya invitation, stating that he would visit the temple with his family post-Pran Pratishtha.
“I want to visit Ayodhya with my family. My parents are very keen to visit the Ram Temple, so we’ll go someday after January 22,” he had said.
The ceremonial journey leading up to the Pran Pratishtha included a seven-day ritual that commenced on January 16, 2024.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of all major spiritual and religious sects in the country. People from all walks of life, including representatives of various tribal communities, will also attend the ceremony.
The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is constructed in traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet; width is 250 feet and height is 161 feet; and is supported by a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors.
The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, Gods, and Goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum on the ground floor, the childhood form of Bhagwan Shri Ram (the idol of Shri Ramlalla) has been placed.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railways is running more than 200 Aastha special trains from various cities and tier 1 and tier 2 towns across India to Ayodhya for the darshan of Ram Lalla in the newly-built Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
As per the Railways, each Aastha train comprises 20 sleeper coaches. One train can accommodate around 1,400 people.
According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, over 20 lakh devotees visited the Ram Temple within seven days after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)