Millions of dreams come true when prime minister Narendra Modi unveils the idol of Ram Lalla in the Ram mandir of scared Ayodhya – the birth place of Lord Ram.
Modi, dressed in a traditional kurta tunic, led the opening ceremony on Monday as Hindu priests chanted hymns inside the temple's inner sanctum, where a 1.3-metre (4.3-foot) stone sculpture of Lord Ram was installed last week.
Addressing the large gathering after the ‘pran pratistha' rituals at the grand Ram mandir in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said, “Our Ram has finally arrived.”
“I have come before you are witnessing the divine consciousness in the temple's sanctum sanctorum. There's so much to say but, but there's a lump in my throat. After unprecedented patience, innumerable sacrifices and penance, our Lord Ram has arrived. I congratulate the country on this occasion,” the Prime Minister said.
Ram Lalla, he said, will “no longer live in a tent”. Saying that this moment of consecration is a blessing from Lord Ram, he said January 22 is “not a date on a calendar, but the dawn of a new era”.
Nearly 7,500 people, including elite industrialists, politicians and movie stars, witnessed the ritual on a giant screen outside the temple as a military helicopter showered flower petals.
Built at an estimated cost of $217m and spread over nearly 3 hectares (7.4 acres), the temple is symbol of Hinduism and has touched chord of millions of hearts.
Actors and celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Chiranjeevi, and couples Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal-Katrina Kaif attended the Ram temple's consecration in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya today. Among others who were present also included filmmaker's Rohit Shetty and Rajkumar Hirani; actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Madhuri Dixit Nene along with her husband Sriram Nene, Hema Malini, Rajinikanth, Pawan Kalyan, Shankar Mahadevan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Shefali Shah, Vipul Shah and Randeep Hooda.
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