Consecration of ’Raja Ram’, other deities held at Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Mangalore Today News Network

Ayodhya, June 5, 2025: The consecration of ’Raja Ram’ -- Lord Rama in his royal form -- along with the installation of idols in eight newly built temples inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was held on Thursday in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The ritual was the second major consecration ceremony at the temple, the first being that of Ram Lalla on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ceremony took place during the ’Abhijit Muhurat’, considered one of the most auspicious moments in the Hindu calendar.

The consecration of the deities began with prayers at the ’yajna mandap’ at 6:30 am, followed by a ’havan’ at 9 am, which lasted an hour. Thereafter, centralised rituals began simultaneously across all temple shrines, aided by visual technology like cameras and large screens, ensuring synchronicity of the ceremonies.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, among the deities consecrated were Shri Ram Darbar (central installation), Sheshavatar, Lord Shiva in the northeast (Ishan) corner, Lord Ganesha in the southeast (Agni) corner, Lord Hanuman at the southern wing, Surya (Sun God) in the southwest (Nairitya) corner, Goddess Bhagwati in the northwest (Vayavya) corner and Goddess Annapurna in the northern wing.

Adityanath offered prayers at the Ram Temple, had darshan of the ’Ram Darbar’ on the first floor, and visited Hanumangarhi temple nearby.

"Today, in the holy birthplace of Lord Shri Ram, Ayodhya Dham, we are getting the great fortune of becoming a witness to the programme organised for the Pran-Pratishtha of the holy idols of gods in the eight temples including Shri Ram Darbar on the first floor of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple," he posted on X.

He added, "This auspicious occasion is a new expression of ’Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat’. Victory to Siyavar Shri Ramachandra!" The BJP, which is in power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, took to X and posted: "The second festival of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha concluded today in Ayodhya. A step towards Ram Rajya".

आज संपन्न हुआ अयोध्याजी में राम मंदिर प्राण प्रतिष्ठा का दूसरा पर्व!
पहली बार दिखी ’राम दरबार’ की अद्वितीय झलक... 🚩

रामराज्य की ओर एक कदम... 🛕

जय श्री राम 🚩 pic.twitter.com/Z54TVEeKL6

— Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary (@Bhupendraupbjp) June 5, 2025

Ram Temple trustee Anil Mishra told PTI that the ceremonies were performed in accordance with Vedic traditions, with the participation of learned Brahmins from across the country.

"The day of Ganga Dussehra will symbolise a new beginning. It will be the moment when the fruits of centuries of penance, struggle, and faith will manifest in tangible form," he said.

Ahead of the ceremony which took place on the occasion of Ganga Dusshera, Mahant Raghuvar Sharan, the chief priest of Rasik Niwas Temple in Ayodhya, told PTI, "This year, Ganga Dussehra will not only be sacred but also historic, as after a long struggle of 500 years, Lord Ram, known as ’Rajarama’, will be ceremonially installed on the first floor of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya." Explaining the significance of the date, Ayodhya-based astrologer Pandit Kalki Ram said, "Any auspicious deed performed on Ganga Dussehra yields manifold results. Perhaps this is why the Ram Temple Trust chose this day for the consecration of Rajarama." Pilgrims in large numbers flocked the temple complex, celebrating what many described as a "landmark moment" in the city’s and nation’s spiritual history.

The inauguration of the temple in January 2024 had marked the culmination of a decades-long campaign, mostly under the Hindutva banner, to reclaim a disputed religious site in Ayodhya.

The occasion came just months before the Lok Sabha elections and 34 years after BJP veteran L K Advani’s iconic ’Mandir Wahin Banayenge ’ speech during his Rath yatra that shaped Ram mandir politics.

Scrapping of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code(UCC) have been BJP’s poll plank for decades.

A temple-mosque dispute had simmered over the spot where the 16th century Babri mosque once stood in Ayodhya. Many Hindus believe that the mosque was constructed after the demolition of a temple that existed on the site of Lord Ram’s birthplace.

Kar sewaks demolished it on December 6, 1992 triggering communal riots that left hundreds dead.

After a long legal battle, the Supreme Court in 2019 ruled in favour of the construction of the temple. It also ordered allotment of a five-acre plot for building a mosque.