Amidst Devotion: Pran Pratishtha of Ram Darbar at Ayodhya Temple
The second Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, where a statue of Lord Ram in the form of a king was consecrated, took place on Thursday in a modest ceremony attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This follows the grand consecration of the Ram Lalla idol nearly a year and a half ago, which was marked by notable attendees including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and numerous VIPs.
The final 15-minute consecration rituals commenced at 11:25 am, featuring the chanting of mantras by scholars, or acharyas, from various regions such as Kashi, Ayodhya, Basti, Delhi, Kolkata, Devprayag, Haridwar, and Jammu. Leading the rituals was Jai Prakash Tripathi from Kashi, alongside Acharya Chandra Bhanu Sharma from Delhi. Anil Mishra, a member of the Ram Temple Trust, and his wife played the role of ‘yajman’ during the event.
Key figures in attendance included Nritya Gopal Das, president of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Swami Awadheshanand Giri, and Trust secretary Champat Rai. These rituals were conducted on the first floor of the temple, which has been dedicated to the Ram Darbar, while the regular darshan of Balak Ram continued on the ground floor.
The consecration included idols of Ram, Sita, Bharat, Laxman, Shatrughan, and Hanuman in the Ram Darbar, alongside idols of Surya, Hanuman, Maa Annapurna, Shiva, and Goddess Durga at six additional temples on the premises. However, pilgrims will have to wait before these temples and the Ram Darbar can open to the public.
According to officials from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the delay in public access is due to space constraints. “The Ram Darbar and the new temples will open to the public only after a proper system for entry, exit, timings, and the number of pilgrims is established,” stated a Trust official. A meeting to discuss these arrangements is expected soon, with only the ground floor of the main temple currently accessible to pilgrims.
On average, the Ram Temple receives about 60,000 to 70,000 visitors daily, with increased numbers on weekends and auspicious days. There are noted space constraints on the first floor, particularly due to staircases leading to it. An online pass system is under consideration to regulate the flow of pilgrims.
This year, the atmosphere in Ayodhya was quieter compared to the previous one, with a more pronounced focus on the rituals. Daily activities in the town continued normally with only minimal traffic restrictions in place, as there was no significant influx of VIPs, thus keeping disruptions to a minimum up until Thursday.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/pran-pratishtha-of-ram-darbar-performed-at-ayodhya-temple-10050989/
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Publish Date: 2025-06-06 03:49:00