Ayodhya Ram temple gets first 'gold' door; schools, liquor shops to be closed on Jan 22

Ayodhya: Preparations are in full swing for the grand consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. While architects of the temple added finishing touches to the structure with the installation of the first gold door, the administration initiated several measures to ensure that the inauguration occurred in a seamless manner. A holiday was declared for schools on January 22.

The 'Pran Prathistha' ceremony of Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will take place on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He will perform the rituals in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple at around 12.15 pm.

First gold door
The first golden door has been installed at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, temple officials said. The door, which is 12-feet high and eight-feet wide, has been installed on the upper floor of the sanctum sanctorum.

In the next three days, 13 more golden doors will be installed there, according to the temple trust sources. A total of 46 doors will be installed in the Ram Temple, out of which 42 will be coated with gold.

All these doors are being installed on the upper floor of the sanctum sanctorum. Of the 46 doors that will be installed in the Ram temple, 42 will be coated with 100 kg gold," officials said.

In the picture that has surfaced, two elephants in the welcome posture can be seen in the middle panel of the golden door. In the upper part, a palace-like shape can be seen in which two servants are standing with folded hands. Meanwhile, beautiful artworks are inscribed in the four squares at the bottom of the door.

Meanwhile, the temple trust shared the pictures of the sculpture of Jatayu, a significant character in the Ramayana, and glimpses of exquisitely carved figures of deities, gods and goddesses adorning the pillars and walls of the temple in the nighttime.

The Ram Mandir, constructed in the traditional Nagara style, is a three-storied shrine, measuring 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width, and 161 feet in height. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. It features five Mandaps (halls) -- Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandaps.

Idols of elephants, lions, Lord Hanuman and Garuda, 'vahana' of Lord Vishnu, have been installed at the entrance gate of the Ram Temple.

BJP meet
BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday discussed with party general secretaries plans for the January 22 consecration ceremony.

Earlier, the BJP had asked all its state units to start a campaign from January 14 to ensure cleanliness of temples and their surroundings, and exhort people to join the January 22 event by offering prayers at temples in their neigbourhood. It had also asked its state units to "help" people who want to visit the Ram temple after the consecration ceremony.

After the 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration ceremony), it has to be ensured that people travelling to Ayodhya from different parts of the country and abroad for "darshan" do not face any inconvenience, the sources said. For this, responsibilities will be given to state leaders of the party, a source said.

Security arrangements
The Union home ministry has sanctioned a more than 150 personnel strong CISF anti-terrorist cover for the Ayodhya airport, days before the high-profile consecration ceremony.

The 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham' has become the 68th civil airport terminal in the country to come under the umbrella of the specialised aviation security group (ASG) of the central force.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will provide an anti-terrorist and anti-sabotage cover to the Ayodhya airport. The force will frisk passengers and their baggage and secure the perimeter of the facility, like what is done at other national and international airports, they said.

An armed contingent of more than 150 CISF personnel under the command of a Deputy Commandant rank officer has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for securing the Ayodhya airport that will be enhanced in phases over the 821 acres of land sanctioned for it, they said.

School holiday
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the state on January 22. Terming the occasion as a "national festival", Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that liquor shops in the state should be closed on that day.

"Considering the significance of the consecration ceremony of the eagerly awaited new idol of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya Dham, the CM has declared holiday in educational institutions on January 22," an official release issued here said.

During his visit to Ayodhya on Tuesday, the chief minister held a meeting with officials of the temple trust -- Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust -- and was informed about the vedic rituals for the Pran Pratistha (consecration ceremony), which would start after Makar Sankranti.

Chief Minister Adityanath also directed officials to extend all necessary cooperation to the trust in making security and other arrangements for the ceremony, the release said.

He emphasised that after January 22, devotees of Lord Ram from across the globe and country will visit Ayodhya, it said.

For their convenience, the chief minister said, multilingual signages should be installed throughout the city. These should cover all languages from the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and the six official languages of the United Nations, Adityanath directed officials, according to the release.

Deepotsav will be celebrated at every temple in the evening on January 22, it said.
(With IANS, PTI inputs.)