Ram Lalla idol installed in sanctum sanctorum of Ayodhya temple.

New Ram Lalla idol placed in ‘Garbha Griha’ in Ayodhya Ram Mandir.

Existing idol of Ram Lalla, now at the makeshift temple, to be placed in Ayodhya temple’s ‘garbhagriha’ along with the new idol.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | Ayodhya | Jan 18, 2024:: The long-awaited moment for millions of devotees has finally arrived as Lord Ram Lalla’s idol has been placed in the ‘Grabh Grah’ or sanctum sanctorum of the newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya today (January 18) on Thursday amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.

The 51-inch Ram Lalla idol, sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj, was brought inside the sanctum Sanctorum of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in the wee hours of Thursday. A crane was used to carefully place the idol into the temple.

The ceremony to install the idol lasted around four hours. “The Ram Idol entered the Ram Temple located in Ayodhya after 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. At 1:20 p.m., when the Yajman [host] performed the Pradhan Sankalp, the atmosphere became auspicious with the sound of vedic mantras,” said the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The 51-inch tall black stone idol of the five-year-old Ram was installed after four hours of rituals and mantras.

During the puja , the immovable idol of Lord Ramlala, which weighs 150-200 kg, was bathed with the water of holy rivers and other materials.

The existing idols of Ram Lalla and his three brothers (now at a makeshift temple in Kanak Bhawan), which are being worshipped for the past 74 years, now at the makeshift temple, would be placed in front of the new  idol inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple on January 22, said general secretary of temple trust, Champat Rai.

“The worship of the present idol of Lord Ram has been going on since 1950 and it will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the original temple along with the new idol. The worshipping of the idol will continue even after January 22 in the same manner as it has been done so far,” said Rai.

Rai said the Ram Lalla’s present idol will also be dressed in new attires. The ‘appearance’ of these idols on the night of October 22-23, 1949 inside the disputed site reignited the centuries old dispute, with the Muslim side claiming that the idols were kept by seers led by Hanumangarhi’s mahant Abhiram Das.

The idol was selected after a comprehensive process overseen by the trustee of Ram Janmbhoomi Teertha Kshetra, Bimlendra Mohan Pratap Mishra.

The Ram Lalla Virajman being worshipped for the past 74 years, who fought in the court to get his position in his birthplace seeing many more idols placed by the Sanghis in Shr Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Khestra Trust with their whims & arbitrations.

Along with the The 51-inch tall black stone idol of the five-year-old Ram, Karnataka’s renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj made also a Ram Darbar to be installed in the temple which created a row as the statue of Laxman with folded arms does not bear any scriptural relevance as stated in Ramayana or Ram Charit Manas.

However, the public sentiments that this development ignited among Hindus set in motion a turn of events that laid the foundation of a prolonged legal battle that culminated into the Supreme Court’s verdict on November 9, 2019 declaring that this was the birthplace of Lord Ram.

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Graphics: Suman Halder.

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__Agency inputs.