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Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit diyas at his residence in Delhi Monday evening - to celebrate an early Diwali - hours after he led the 'pran pratishtha' of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
Visuals showed a stern-looking Mr Modi, with a yellow shawl wrapped around his shoulders, lighting diyas and elaborate bronze lamps, and worshipping cut-outs of the Ram Lalla idol.
The photos were shared by the Prime Minister on X with the caption "Ram Jyoti". The lighting of diyas is meant to recreate how Ram's subjects welcomed his return after his 14-year exile.
रामज्योति! #RamJyoti pic.twitter.com/DTxg2QquTT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024Earlier today, after the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony, for which the Prime Minister reportedly prepared by sleeping on the floor and eating/drinking only coconut water for 11 days, called on all Indians to mark Diwali this evening to "welcome Lord Ram into your home".
"Today, Ram Lalla has been seated in his grand temple in Ayodhya. On this auspicious occasion, I request everyone to light the Ram Jyoti and welcome him in your homes too. Jai Siya Ram..."
READ | Ram Lalla Now In New Ayodhya Temple, PM To Celebrate Diwali At Delhi
Addressing a crowd of several thousand, including high-profile Bollywood and sporting celebrities, after the consecration, the Prime Minister said the installation of the Ram Lalla marked the beginning of a new era, and that construction of the temple had filled people with a "new energy".
"Lord Ram has finally arrived (in his abode) following a wait of centuries. After the patience that we showed for centuries, and the sacrifices we made, our Lord Ram has finally arrived," he declared, proclaiming today "the beginning of an era" and that India had "broken the shackles of slavery".
अयोध्या धाम में आज राम लला अपने भव्य मंदिर में विराजमान हुए हैं। इस पुनीत अवसर पर सभी देशवासियों से मेरा आग्रह है कि रामज्योति प्रज्वलित कर अपने घरों में भी उनका स्वागत करें। जय सियाराम! #RamJyoti pic.twitter.com/jllwCKNaym
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024Drawing on the emotions of the moment, the PM also said he had "sought Lord Ram's forgiveness for the delay in constructing the temple", which has been built where a 16th century mosque was raised by Hindu right-wing members in 1992, triggering a spate of communal violence and killings.
The green light for the temple was finally given by the Supreme Court in November 2019. The court acknowledged the Muslim side had been wronged but relied on an archaeological report - which claimed a pre-existing structure beneath the mosque - to rule in favour of the Hindu groups.
In his speech the Prime Minister offered the judiciary a shout-out, saying, "I would like to thank the judiciary that delivered justice and (allowed) Lord Ram's temple was built in a legal manner..."
READ | "Would Like To Thank Judiciary" For Ram Temple, Says PM Modi
Meanwhile, in Ayodhya, after the 'pran pratishtha' ritual that lasted 84 seconds, Mr Modi also visited the Kuber Tila on the temple premises and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. He also unveiled a statue of Jatayu, the mythical bird killed by Ravana while trying to save Sita, also on the temple premises.
READ | Every Ramayan Character PM Modi Named In Ayodhya Speech
The opening of the temple - the heart of a decades-long political storm - has been cold-shouldered by most of the opposition, including the Congress, the Trinamool, and the Samajwadi Party, all of whom have accused the BJP of gaining political mileage from religion on an election year.
The BJP has hit back, censuring all who declined the invite, including the Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, as anti-Hindu.
READ | On Ram Temple Day, PM Will Be In Ayodhya, Opposition Leaders Will...
The event has also drawn other controversies - including the one involving the shankaracharyas, or heads, of four premier monasteries. The Puri and Joshimath shankaracharyas criticised the consecration of an incomplete temple and claimed the event had been given a political angle.
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