The three-day Vedic rituals at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya began on Monday and ended with the bhoomi poojan today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram Mandir, which is likely to be constructed just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Modi was among the 175 people present at the ceremony. He shared the dais with just four others — RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, trust chief Nritya Gopaldas Maharaj, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 'historic' event of laying of the foundation stone of the Ram temple. He said it took a long struggle and a wait of 500 years for this event to materialise.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "We knew it was going to be a long toil when we started off. It took 30 long years of hard work for this dream to come true.

PM Modi congratulated the nation on the bhumi pujan for the Ayodhya Ram Temple. He said, "The entire country is celebrating today as a centuries-old wait has finally ended. For our Ram Lalla, who has been under a tent for a rather long time, a grand temple will be constructed now."

He said, "During our freedom struggle, many generations had devoted their all to the cause. August 15 is the symbol of that sacrifice, that emotion. Similarly, for a Ram temple, generations have struggled and toiled for centuries The Ram temple movement involved, dedication, struggle, sacrifice."On behalf of the entire country, Modi paid his respects to all those who were part of this movement. He said, "Wherever they are, they are watching us, they are emotional, they are blessing everyone." Listen to the podcast for more