Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan: PM Modi leaves for Ayodhya to attend Ram Temple event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 50 VIPs including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend a ground-breaking ceremony of a temple to Lord Ram at Ayodhya today. The grand event meets a decades-long political promise core to the ruling BJP's ideology. The temple town was lit up in resplendent purple and green last evening.
A 40-kg silver brick, which will symbolize the beginning of the construction - is at the heart of today's ceremonies. Images released on Monday showed the proposed temple will be a grand three-storey stone structure with multiple turrets, pillars and domes. The temple will be 161 feet tall and almost double the size of what was originally planned, its architect said.
The guest list for the grand event has been severely trimmed in view of coronavirus. Besides PM Modi, 50 VIPs including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will attend the ceremony.
BJP veteran LK Advani -- who was the face of the movement to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya in the 1990's -- will attend the ceremony virutally. "Destiny made me perform a pivotal duty in the form of Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya in 1990 which helped galvanise aspirations, energies and passions of its countless participants," he said.
Last year, the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead for a temple to be built by a specially appointed trust. The Centre was asked to give Muslims land elsewhere in Ayodhya for a mosque.
Here are the live updates on 'Bhoomi Pujan' ceremony at Ayodhya:
Ram mandir ceremony: Madhya Pradesh woman, 88, continues her 28-year-old fast for Ram Temple
Urmila Chaturvedi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, has not eaten a meal since December 6, 1992, when right-wing activists razed the 16th century Babri mosque. She has kept her vow since then that she would not eat regular meals and will only live of fruits until a temple is constructed at the site, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.
After 28 years, her dream is on the cusp of being turned into reality as the holy city will witness the temple's ground-breaking event on Wednesday. The 88-year-old, however, will not be able to attend because of the coronavirus pandemic and is disappointed. She says she will only break her fast in Ayodhya. (Read full story
here)
Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan Live Updates: PM Modi likely to spend around three hours in Ayodhya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Ayodhya by special flight this morning. He is likely to spend around three hours in the temple town.
PM will reach Lucknow, and from there he will fly by chopper to Ayodhya, around 125 km away. The chopper will land at a helipad set up in a college in the Uttar Pradesh holy town on the banks of the river Saryu.
PM Modi's first visit will be to the Hanumangarhi temple, where he is expected to pray for 10 minutes.
PM Modi is the first prime minister to visit ram janmabhoomi: UP Government
PM Modi will return to Ayodhya after 29 years today for the Ram Temple groundbreaking ceremony. The Uttar Pradesh government said that PM Modi is the first prime minister to visit ram janmabhoomi. He is the first PM to start proceedings of a temple that projects the cultural heritage of a country, it said.
PM in Ayodhya today - A look at the preparations at grand Ram Temple ceremony venue
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to spend around three hours in Ayodhya.
PM Modi and four other persons will be on the stage for the mega event organised in the middle of the country's fight against the coronavirus.
According to Ram Temple trust officials, PM Modi will proceed to Ram Janmabhoomi or the site of the temple, which thousands of devotees believe was the spot where Lord Ram was born. He will offer prayers to "Ram Lalla" or the idol of infant Ram before going to the stage where the groundbreaking ceremony will take place.
The PM will lay a 40-kg silver brick to symbolize the start of construction of the Ram Temple that is core to the ruling BJP's ideology and poll promises. A campaign for the temple marked the rise of the party to the national spotlight in the 1990s.
Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan Live Updates: Hanuman Garhi temple will be PM Modi's first stop in Ayodhya
Seventy-six steps lead to Hanuman Garhi, which is one of the most popular Hanuman temples in north India. The shrine houses Hanuman's mother, Anjani, with a young Hanuman on her lap.
As soon as PM Modi reaches Ayodhya, he will first go to this temple as it is believed that before visiting Lord Ram one should pay respect to Lord Hanuman.
According to legend it is believed that no work is complete without the blessings of Lord Hanuman.
The diety of Lord Ram inside the ram janmabhoomi. PM Modi will pray here too before taking part in the ram temple bhoomi poojan.
A policeman tries to get a devotee, who has reached Ayodhya from Rae Bareli with a huge flex saying 'Jai Shri Ram', to move from entry gate of the Hanuman Gadhi temple.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad shares the sketch from the original document of the Constitution of India showing Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman returning to Ayodhya after defeating Ravan.
New airport, swanky station - Ayodhya has blueprint ready for big upgrade
The Uttar Pradesh government has set a budget of more than Rs 500 crore for a number of development and beautification projects in Ayodhya, which the government plans to promote Ayodhya as a big religious tourism destination.
The government is expecting huge footfall by 2024, when the long-awaited Ram temple is expected to be completed.
The advance planning includes not only a new airport and railway station, but also an upgrade of the nearby highway and local tourist spots. (read full story
here)
Ram Mandir 'Bhoomi Pujan' live updates: What Ram Mandir will look like, all details here
The design of the planned Ram Temple in Ayodhya was released on Tuesday by the trust overseeing its construction.
A series of images showed a grand three-storey stone structure on a raised platform with multiple turrets, pillars and domes. The temple will be 161 feet tall and almost double the size of what was originally planned, according to its architect.
The interiors show a high dome with intricate carvings. (Read full story
here)
Ram mandir ceremony: Sanitisation being done at Hanuman Garhi temple, ahead of PM Modi's visit
Sanitisation being done at c temple, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit today. As soon as PM Modi reaches Ayodhya, he will first go to this temple as it is believed that before visiting Lord Ram one should pay respect to Lord Hanuman.
The priests of the temple are diheartened as they will not be able to meet PM Modi due to the protocols in place for coronavirus. "At the temple, all of us had made a lot of preparations to present a 'gada' (mace), mukut (crown), silver brick, stole and a turban to the Prime Minister. But, this will not be possible now due to COVID-19 rules. Our plan to give him the gifts is now cancelled," Mahant Raju Das of Hanuman Garhi temple told news agency PTI.
Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan Live Updates: Section 144 imposed in Karnataka's Kalaburagi ahead of Bhumi Pujan in Ayodhya
Section 144 has been imposed in Karantaka's Kalaburagi in the wake of "bhoomi pujan" at Ayodhya.
"Section 144 imposed in Kalaburagi City in the wake of bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya. Order will be in force from August 4, 3 pm to August 6 till 6 am," Police Commissioner, Kalaburagi City said.
The temple town has been lit up in resplendent purple and green. Huge CCTV screens dot the town, in which locals can follow the ceremony that will begin at noon.
For all yesterday's updates on preparations on Ayodhya ceremony, click
here
Ayodhya Ram Mandir News: Silver Bricks, Hanuman Garhi Temple Decked Up Ahead Of PM Modi's Bhoomi Pujan
