The first anniversary celebrations of the Ram Lalla idol consecration ceremony in Ayodhya started on Saturday with a large number of devotees reaching the holy city to take part in events.
Religious and cultural programmes will commence in the Ram Temple complex starting Saturday. The anniversary celebrations began with the recitation of Yajurveda.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will perform the ‘abhishek’ of Ram Lalla. The grand aarti of the deity will take place around 12.20 pm, followed by an offering of 56 dishes to the deity.
The court of Ram Lalla is decorated with flowers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the consecration ceremony on January 22 last year, greeted citizens on the occasion.
“Best wishes to all citizens on the first anniversary of the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. This temple, built after centuries of sacrifice, penance and struggle, is a great heritage of our culture and spirituality.
“I am confident that this divine and magnificent Ram temple will become a great inspiration in the accomplishment of the resolution of a developed India (Viksit Bharat),” he said in a post on X in Hindi.
अयोध्या में रामलला की प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा की प्रथम वर्षगांठ पर समस्त देशवासियों को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं। सदियों के त्याग, तपस्या और संघर्ष से बना यह मंदिर हमारी संस्कृति और अध्यात्म की महान धरोहर है। मुझे विश्वास है कि यह दिव्य-भव्य राम मंदिर विकसित भारत के संकल्प की सिद्धि में एक… pic.twitter.com/DfgQT1HorT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 11, 2025
Adityanath said in a post on X, “Jai Jai Shri Ram.”
रामाय रामभद्राय रामचन्द्राय वेधसे।
रघुनाथाय नाथाय सीतायाः पतये नमः॥जय जय श्री राम! pic.twitter.com/BTAslmWte9
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 11, 2025
Anup Mishra, a local resident who was at the temple to witness the anniversary celebrations, said, “We were not able to come to the Ram Janmabhoomi when the Pran Pratistha was done in January 2024, but we were fortunate enough to reach the court of Ram Lalla on the first anniversary of the ceremony.”
Another devotee, Sarla Maheshwari who has come from Bhopal, said, “We reached Ayodhya two days ago to take part in the anniversary celebrations, and felt excited that today we will see the deity.”
Scheduled from January 11 to 13, the celebrations aim to include common people, who were unable to attend the historic ceremony last year, alongside around 110 invited VIPs, according to the temple trust.
A German hangar tent has been installed at the Angad Teela site, capable of hosting up to 5,000 people. Common people will have the opportunity to witness the grand event, which include classical cultural performances, rituals, and daily Ram Katha discourses at the pavilion and Yagnashala.
“The trust has decided to invite common people who could not attend the initial consecration ceremony last year. They will be allowed to join all three days of events at Angad Teela,” Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had earlier said.
The trust also said that invitation letters have been distributed to guests, including the 110 VIPs, many of whom missed the original pran pratishtha ceremony on January 22, 2024. “Those unable to attend last year will be included in this anniversary celebration,” Rai had said.
The trust also extended invitations to saints and devotees from across the country, with Rai urging residents and pilgrims to participate in the celebrations on at least one of the three days and experience the spiritual atmosphere of Ayodhya.
The pavilion and the ‘yagnashala’ will serve as key venues for the festivities.