Ayodhya Ram Mandir Updates: Religious fervour grips states ahead of consecration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage at the Sri Kothandarama Swamy Temple in Dhanushkodi district on Sunday. Meanwhile, religious fervour gripped many places in the country ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple.

Ayodhya: With the Ram Temple consecration just a few hours away, all roads seem to lead to Ayodhya. The holy city adorns the look of a bride, with immaculate being the forte.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to the Sri Kothandarama (which means Rama with the bow) Swamy Temple in Dhanushkodi district and visited the Arichal Munai, where the Ram Setu was built.

However, the most-awaited ceremony will commence on January 22, when an estimated 8,000 people are anticipated to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

Here are the LIVE updates on Ayodhya Ram Temple:

• 9.50 pm

Religious fervour gripped many places in Haryana and Punjab ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. While temples being decked up for religious ceremonies that will take place on Monday, flags with pictures of Lord Ram and the Ayodhya temple dotted many places including Kurukshetra, Panipat, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar in the twin states and their common capital Chandigarh.

• 7.10 pm

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B Karunakara Reddy, who is currently in Ayodhya to participate in the consecration of the Lord Ram temple, handed over laddus from the temple body to a representative of the Ram Mandir Trust on Sunday. The TTD, the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, agreed to supply one lakh laddus for the Ayodhya Ram temple's consecration on Monday. Read More...

• 6.40 pm

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has got 'mahaprasad' prepared for the VIPs coming to attend the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on Monday. More than 20,000 packets of 'mahaprasad', which has been prepared with pure ghee, five types of dry fruits, sugar, gram flour ('besan') is being handed over to the Trust for the guest after the ceremony, an official said. Read More...

• 5.10 pm

Folk dances from 'Badhawa' to 'Ghumar', songs dedicated to Lord Ram playing on loudspeakers, streets decked up with flowers, lights and saffron flags and people dressed up as Lord Ram, Sita and Hanuman -- the temple town of Ayodhya is buzzing with activity ahead of the consecration ceremony at the newly constructed Ram temple. Read More...

• 3.40 pm

A multi-level security cover and extensive CCTV surveillance have been put in place at prominent temples and different markets of the national capital for celebrations to mark the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Delhi police officials said. Read More...

• 2.40 pm

The old idol of Ram Lalla will be placed in front of the new idol which will be consecrated at the temple in Ayodhya on January 22, said Govind Dev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. He also said that more than Rs 1,100 crore has so far been spent in constructing the Ram Temple and another Rs 300 crore might be needed to complete the work.Read More...

• 02.00 pm

Former litigant in the Ayodhya land dispute case, Iqbal Ansari says to ANI, "Ayodhya is a city of religion. Pran Pratishtha ceremony will be done in Ayodhya tomorrow. All the people who have come to Ayodhya are welcome. We want people should worship Lord Ram and follow the path shown by him. Every religion is a symbol of humanity. Every religion teaches that there should not be enmity among each other, there should be harmony among each other."

• 1.40 pm

A Hapur-based flower farmer, Teg Singh, has been commissioned by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to deliver 10 tons of assorted flowers, which will be used in the decoration of the grand temple and the holy city.

• 01.10 pm

B'town actress Kangana Ranaut says to ANI, "Ayodhya has been decorated like a bride. Bhajans and Yagya are being organised at several places. It feels like we have reached 'Dev Lok'...We cannot say anything about those who do not want to come...It feels really good to be in Ayodhya right now..."

• 12.40 pm

Renowned sand artist Ajay Rawat has created a 25-foot-long and 30-foot-wide model of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in Pushkar.

• 11.35 am

Fifty traditional musical instruments from across the country will be part of a devotional "Mangal Dhwani" that will resonate for two hours ahead of the consecration ceremony.

• 11.15 am

Mary Millben, the African-American actress and singer, said, "The ceremony ('Pran Pratishtha') almost feels like second Diwali. I am going to celebrate Diwali (on January 22). I am sad that I won't be in India physically for the ceremony, but I will certainly be celebrating it. What's the most beautiful thing about this ceremony is that it is a moment where all people will come together to celebrate, and that's the beauty of faith."

• 11 am

The chief priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, shared his joy and said it would be a moment of great happiness for him to ceremonially restore the deity to his birthplace.

• 10.40 am

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra took to its official X handle to share the ongoing ritual ahead of consecration day.

• 10.20 am

Prime Minister performs pooja at Dhanushkodi

• 9.53 am

PM Modi is currently at the Ram Setu origin point in the Dhanushkodi district.

• 9.40 am

The Uttar Pradesh government has made arrangements for parking at 51 designated locations in the holy city ahead of the consecration day. With parking spaces for 22,825 vehicles, these spots will be under drone surveillance and are conveniently marked on Google Maps to facilitate guests, officials said here on Sunday.

• 9.10 am

On Monday, the devotees will be served prasad, including ‘thepla’, ‘almond barfi', and 'matar kachauri', after reaching the temple premises. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust will exclusively handle the food arrangements for selected VVIPs on January 22. The ingredients for the ‘prasad’ have been sourced from Varanasi. Approximately 300 tons of ration, including essentials like rice, spices, and vegetables, have arrived for the feast.