THE idol of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) at the newly constructed Ram temple in the northern Indian holy town of Ayodhya was revealed on Monday (22) shortly before a grand 'pran pratistha' (consecration) ceremony was held. Prime minister Narendra Modi, who reached Ayodhya to preside over the event, was seen offering prayers to the deity made of black stone, flanked by seers in the temple's sanctum sanctorum.
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was also seen.
The 51-inch deity, made by Arun Yogiraj, a sculptor from Mysuru in the southern state of Karnataka, was covered in a veil ahead of the consecration ceremony. The idol was installed on Thursday (18).
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While the idol of Ram Lalla was placed on the ground floor of the temple, the idols of King Ram, along with his wife Sita, brother Lakshman and devotee Hanuman will be placed on the first floor, which is yet to be built.
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Indian PM Narendra Modi arrives to participate in the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on January 22, 2024. (ANI Photo)
Earlier, Modi shared a video of his entry into the temple on X. In the post in Hindi, he said, "The supernatural moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lala's life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine program. Jai Siya Ram!"
The controversy also erupted ahead of the unveiling of the idol as its photograph went viral on social media, which according to the temple's chief priest, showed the eyes which should not have happened before the 'pran pratistha'. Satyendra Das, the chief priest, also demanded an investigation into the matter.
"The eyes of Lord Ram's idol cannot be revealed before the 'Pran Pratishtha' is completed. If the eyes can be seen, an investigation should be done on who revealed the eyes and how the pictures of the idol went viral on social media," he was quoted as saying.
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