For some the feeling is of deep devotion, for others it’s a sense of fulfilment of a wish, while some others are driven by sentiments of joy! Occasion is one but emotions are countless.
The first anniversary celebration of the consecration of Ram Lalla idol in the Ayodhya temple has brought to the city thousands of devotees from across the country.
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Thursday 09 Jan. 2025
The three-day celebrations began on Saturday with a recital of Yajurveda and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performing an ‘abhishek’ on the Ram Lalla idol.
Thousands of people have descended on the city from near and far, and are headed to the temple premises to witness cultural and religious events planned for the three days between January 11 and 13.
“Ayodhya is soaked completely in the essence and devotion of Lord Ram,” Ram Temple head priest Satyendra Das told PTI.
“The heavy influx of devotees everyday at the Ram Temple shows people’s immense faith in Lord Ram. This huge turnout at the Ram temple also means people from different walks of life are very happy about the consecration of Lord Ram Lalla idol. They are all celebrating the first anniversary with full enthusiasm. The atmosphere here is of complete happiness.”
For Ayodhya mayor Girish Pati Tripathi, it feels like the “fulfilment of a dream”.
“The happiness is that of seeing our culture flowering and flourishing. The happiness is that of witnessing Ayodhya as a city of enthusiasm and joy. I feel privileged to be able to serve the people of this city,” he told PTI.
He said the temple city is witnessing an average daily footfall of 1.5 lakh, and in these three days, the average daily footfall is likely to increase further.
Anil Mishra, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, told PTI, “It is the result of the hardwork of the nodal agencies that three storeys (of the temple) have been completed. The work on the
temple’s ‘shikhar’ is going on, and that too will be completed in around two months. This is definitely encouraging.”
The idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated in the temple on January 22, 2024. But the its anniversary is being celebrated over three days from Saturday (January 11( according to the traditional Hindu calendar ‘tithi’, Mishra said. The celebrations will go on for three days.
“The large number of devotees visiting the temple shows their devotion. Since the temple was constructed, more than 3 crore devotees visited for the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla,” Mishra said “There is excitement in the atmosphere today.”
