Since Monday night, a sizable contingent of worshippers, both from the surrounding area and other states, had assembled outside the temple’s gates under strict security to get entry. After the Ram Lalla pran pratishtha ritual, worshippers arrived at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya one day after it opened to the public. Since Monday night, a sizable contingent of worshippers, both from the surrounding area and other states, have gathered outside the temple’s gates under strict security in order to get entry. In order to control the flow of people, the security staff had to temporarily close the temple gates as the number of devotees increased. “Don’t call it a crowd, they are devotees. Yes, there were some problems but that reflects devotion, doesn’t it? And it’s because of their unwavering belief and desire to see the lord rest in such a grand abode that Ram Mandir became a reality,” said Jaisnavi, a woman devotee from Gujarat.
Inspector general of police IGP), Ayodhya range, Praveen Kumar said, “Extra force is deployed to guard against any untoward incident, but people are requested to wait for their turn to ensure that there is no panic.
An analysis of daily foot traffic will be done before a crowd management plan is implemented, according to another official.
After urging devotees to stay away from the Ram Mandir, the police in nearby districts like Barabanki eventually set up detours to control the flow of worshippers towards the temple town. Devotees in Ayodhya had no complaints as they awaited the gates’ opening later for darshan.
The devotees express their joy
“It’s a joyous occasion and we would of course wait till we get to see the magical face of Ram Lalla,” said another devotee. Ram Mandir’s head priest also expressed his happiness.
“For people like us, it appears like we are transported into the Treta Yug when Ram ji was there. It’s like the lord’s second homecoming,” he said.
“Asli bheed toh ab aayegi… Yeh lambha chalega… Ayodhya se bahar se jyada log ayenge (the real crowd will start building up as majority of the devotees would be from outside Ayodhya and UP,” said Monu Pandey, a resident of Ashrafi Bhawan crossing.
Timmings for visiting the temple
There are two slots provided by the temple Trust for devotees seeking darshan of Ram Lalla. The first one is from 7am to 11:30am while the second is from 2pm to 7pm. With its elaborately carved images of deities gracing its white marble walls, the temple is built in the ancient Nagara style. Measuring 380 feet in length and 250 feet in width, the highest spire is 161 feet high.
Occupying a 2.77-acre area, the temple is accessed through 44 doorways and supported by 392 columns.
PM Modi shared Glimpses of the ceremony on X
A video of the historic Ram temple opening in Ayodhya on Monday was posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, who stated that the event “will be etched in our memories for years to come”.
During the three-minute video, the Prime Minister is seen entering the temple’s sanctum sanctorum while wearing a red dupatta that has been folded and holding a silver umbrella.
Along with participating in the consecration ceremony at the recently built temple, PM Modi was also seen in the video receiving blessings from the new Ram Lalla idol.
What we saw in Ayodhya yesterday, 22nd January, will be etched in our memories for years to come. pic.twitter.com/8SXnFGnyWg
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2024By: Gursharan Kaur