Ayodhya: Around five lakh devotees visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya on day one as it opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, a day after the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla, officials said.
A massive crowd that swelled by the hour and became unmanageable in the afternoon thronged the main gateway to the Ram temple. The Information Director, Shishir informed that the total footfall at the temple complex on day one was around 5 lakh. He further said that more than 8,000 policemen are deployed at the temple and "everything is under control".
As a sea of devotees reached Ayodhya, it turned into a tumultuous situation for the officials to handle. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached ground zero himself and took charge of the safety, convenience, and comfort of the devotees.
UP Principal Secretary, Sanjay Prasad and DG Law and Order, Prashant Kumar were seen present inside the 'Garbha Griha' of the temple, to monitor the orderly movement of devotees on Wednesday.
Prashant Kumar said, "People have gathered here in huge numbers. Principal Home Secretary and I have been sent here... We have improved the queue system for crowd management. We have made channels for the people..."
The CM, who initially sent the officials to Ayodhya, later reached himself and conducted an aerial survey to take stock of the situation and held a meeting with district administration officials, giving them necessary directions for controlling the crowd as well as ensuring foolproof security arrangements and the convenience of devotees. He also visited the temple and held a discussion with the trust officials about crowd management.
In a post on X(formerly Twitter), Yogi said, "Conducted an on-site inspection of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex in Ayodhya today. Necessary guidelines were also given to the officials to ensure easy and convenient darshan of Ram Lalla and to run all the necessary arrangements smoothly."
The Chief Minister has appealed for patience and cooperation from the Ram Bhakts coming from across the country. "Assuring devotees of a seamless darshan of Lord Shri Ram, the Chief Minister has urged them to exercise patience and cooperate with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, local police and administration officials to avoid inconveniences. He has said that the government, trust, and administration are trying to facilitate darshan of Lord Ram to every devotee," the state government's press release said.
Earlier in the day, waiting in serpentine queues outside the temple were people who had been camping in Ayodhya since before the consecration ceremony, having made long and difficult journeys to reach there.
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