Inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir

 

India is moving forward based on civilization, history, heritage and culture. India’s democratic system is functioning and world-class institutions have been developed based on democratic values and respecting different faiths. India is now the biggest democratic country in the world.

Ayodhya in grip of religious fervour as long-awaited Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and other dignitaries. Army helicopters showered flower petals on the temple premises when the consecration took place. Crafted by the skilled hands of sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Mysuru, the 51-inch-tall idol, captures the image of a five-year-old Lord Ram standing gracefully on a lotus, all meticulously carved from a single block of stone.

The grand event saw the presence of around 7,000 VVIPs from across the nation which includes politicians, social leaders, actors, sportspersons, industrialists, etc. Constructed in the conventional Nagara architectural style, the Ram Mandir compound is designed to span 380 feet in the east-west direction, with a width of 250 feet and an impressive height of 161 feet. The temple's vertical structure consists of floors, each measuring 20 feet in height, supported by a remarkable ensemble of 392 pillars and adorned with 44 gates.

PM Modi followed a strict 11-day ‘anushthan’ and slept on the floor and had coconut water before the ceremony in Ayodhya. He also visited several temples across India ahead of the ‘pran-pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir and took a holy dip at the Rameswaram ‘Angi theerth’ beach, which are linked with Indian civilization.

While addressing the gathering in Ayodhya after performing rituals in the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, PM Modi congratulated the people as the hundred years’ long wait ended. After the consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, PM Modi encouraged people to “lay foundation of India of next 1,000 years; we take pledge to build a capable, grand, divine India from this moment.”

“Today in Ayodhya, not only has the Pran Pratishtha of the idol of Ram Lalla taken place, this is also the lifeblood of unwavering faith in Indian culture as manifested in the form of Shri Ram,” said PM Modi.

“Lord Ram has finally arrived (in his abode) following the wait of centuries. After the patience that we showed for centuries and the sacrifices we made, our Lord Ram has finally arrived,” PM Modi said during his address. After addressing the gathering, PM Modi offered prayers at Kuber Tila Shiva temple and unveiled Jatayu statue. The ancient Shiv temple located on the Kuber Tila in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex is also being renovated by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is constructing the Ram temple. Later, he showered flower petals upon the workers who were the part of the construction crew of the Ram Mandir.

Muslims who attended the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya assert that time has arrived to transcend differences and unite for the nation’s development. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they said he has reached out to every community and sent a strong message that Ram Mandir belongs to the Rashtra (nation) and not Hindus alone. Among the attendees were prominent clerics, who were personally invited by the members of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (RJTK) to participate in the inauguration ceremony.

Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, who was invited in Ayodhya for the temple inauguration event said, “Being a chief cleric, I have the leadership responsibility of 5.5 lakh mosques across the country ... my duty is to spread the message of love and harmony.”

The Supreme Court of India said in 2019 that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 was unlawful. However, it ruled that there was a non-Islamic structure beneath the Babri Mosque. It ruled that a temple would be built on the disputed land and a parcel of land would be provided to the Muslim side for the construction of a mosque.

The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation will begin the construction of a grand mosque at Dhannipur in Ayodhya District from May this year. It is likely to take three-four years to complete. The information emerged on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple.

Haji Arfat Shaikh, the head of the development committee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation that is overseeing the mosque project, gave the information that the mosque will be named “Masjid Muhammed bin Abdullah”, after Prophet Muhammad. He said, “Our effort has been to end and convert enmity, hatred among people into love for each other.”

It is mentionable that in Istanbul, Turkey a mosque converted into a church named St. Saviour in Kariye was handed over to Turkey’s religious authority to reconvert it into a mosque. Here no judicial process was followed and no alternative arrangement has been made for the Christians. We know, civilizations had been developed in India as well as Arab-Persia based on religious knowledge and science. Ayodhya, Mathura, Baranasi for Hindus, Mecca, Medina for Muslims, Bethlehem for Christianity and Lumbini for Buddhists are important places that played prominent role in development of civilizations. All religions teach truth, equality and brotherhood to mankind.

Swami Vivekananda attended the Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 and delivered his message which was charged with irresistible spiritual power. Vivekananda believed that all religions are true and accepting all religions meant worshipping God with each of them. “I shall go to the mosque of the Mohammedan; I shall enter the Christians church and kneel before the crucifix; I shall enter the Buddhistic temple, where I shall take refuge in Buddha and in his Law. I shall go into the forest and sit down in meditation with the Hindu, who is trying to see the light which enlightens the heart of everyone.”

Indian President Droupadi Murmu while addressing the nation on the eve of 75th Republic Day, hailed the inauguration of the glorious Ram Temple in Ayodhya and said, “Earlier this week, we witnessed the historic ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the idol of Lord Shri Ram in the glorious new temple constructed in Ayodhya. When this event is seen from a wider perspective, future historians will consider it a landmark in India’s continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage.”

She further said, “The construction of the temple commenced after due judicial process and the decision of the highest court of the land. Now it stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in the judicial process.”

We hope all will follow the universal spirit of religion and work for peace and stability, which is the manifestation of secularism in modern democratic state.


Dr. NC Bhowmik is a
freedom fighter, academic
scholar and former
ambassador.