Parliament to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: When PM Modi prostrated in full public view

NEW DELHI: It is not often that Prime Minister Narendra Modi prostrates himself at any place. But it was indeed one of those rare occasions when he did exactly that - not once but three times in a single day.
Minutes before laying the foundation stone for a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, PM Modi first went to the makeshift temple where Ram Lalla’s idol is kept at Ramjanmabhumi in Ayodhya.
He paid obeisance to Lord Ram by doing prostrating himself ('shashtang dandvat') at the steps, with hands folded above his shoulders.
He lay there for a while before getting up slowly and entering inside the makeshift temple to worship Lord Ram.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister walked to the spot where the arrangements were in place for him to do bhumi pujan and shilanyas (laying down of foundation).
Flanked by priests inside a tent full of selected guests - while following the social distancing protocol in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic - a masked PM Modi reached the bhumi pujan spot.
There he bowed down a second time before elaborate prayers and rituals commenced.
This was followed by the top leaders - including Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat - getting on the dais to deliver speeches.
However, on reaching the dais, Narendra Modi prostrated for the third time, on this occasion before an audience.
It was for the first time that PM Modi prostrated three times in a single day.
In fact, it was perhaps only for the second time as Prime Minister or PM-designate that Modi has bent down. The first such occasion was on May 20, 2014.
The 2014 Lok Sabha had been held and the BJP had emerged victorious by winning 282 out of 543 seats - an absolute majority on its own.
The BJP’s parliamentary party meeting was to be held in the Central Hall of Parliament to elect Modi as their leader.
After alighting from his car on reaching at the entrance of Parliament, Modi started taking the steps. After a step or two, Modi prostrated himself on the stairs.
It was Modi’s first visit to the Central Hall of Parliament, just as he had entered the Gujarat assembly for the first time only after winning the state elections in 2001.
Similarly, he visited Ramjanmabhumi in Ayodhya for the first time in 28 years. The last time he did was on January 14, 1992. He had spent a night while embarking on a yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to hoist the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Republic Day.