Ayodhya:
The consecration, or pran pratishtha, of eight temples, including that of the Ram Darbar, will be held on the first floor of the Ram temple in Ayodhya today. The programs began at 6:30 am and will continue till the afternoon on the last of the three-day ceremony.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Champat Rai, General Secretary of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, said that the temple complex is now nearing its completion.
“About 95 percent of the temples have been completed. Kalash have been made. The idols of the deities have been installed in the temples. Before Pran Pratishtha on June 3 and 4, the necessary rituals and worship were done. Today is the last day of the rituals of Pran Pratishtha,” said Mr Rai.
He also assured that darshan will continue as before. VIP darshan facility will not be available today, and no VIP passes will be issued for the day, but the public won’t face any hindrance in visiting the temple, he said.
“People can walk up to the eastern gate and enter the complex after completing the security checks. Every day, 70,000-80,000 devotees visit the temple, and there is no restriction on darshan,” said Mr Rai.
However, the first-floor temples that are being consecrated today will remain closed for now. Darshan will be allowed at those temples only when the situation is favourable, he said, but did not hint at when one could expect those to open.
He said the process to open these areas is yet to be decided, and that it cannot be said now how much time it would take.
The phase 2 of the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony began on June 3. Today, which marks the last of the three-day ceremony, the consecration of Raja Ram – in the king’s form – will be done. This morning, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was among those who attended the ceremony. He also shared a video of him offering prayers at the Ayodhya temple.
In the first phase, the Ram Lalla idol was consecrated in the temple complex on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
