New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday extended his best wishes to everyone on the first anniversary of the Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha ceremony, marking a significant milestone in the temple’s history. “A year ago today, the Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha ceremony was held after ending a wait of 500 years,” he said .
The chief minister visited the Ram Temple on ‘Pratishtha Dwadashi’ to offer prayers and speak to the assembled crowd. Many videos and images show devotees gathering around the temple, chanting bhajans and shlokas. A three-day festival in Ayodhya began on Saturday to celebrate the occasion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greetings on the occasion, calling the Ram Temple a “great heritage of our culture and spirituality”.
धन्य अवध जो राम बखानी…
श्री अयोध्या धाम में श्री राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर में भगवान श्री रामलला सरकार के श्री विग्रह की प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा की प्रथम वर्षगांठ के उपलक्ष्य में आयोजित प्रतिष्ठा-द्वादशी कार्यक्रम में…
जय जय श्री राम! https://t.co/NcGMjvyZbI
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 11, 2025
‘We all should be united’
Speaking on the occasion, Adityanath said that it is important to have unity among the people. “If we remain divided based on caste, region, language, then religious places will be the first to suffer the consequences… We all should remain united,” he urged. He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words from last year, “Lord Ram is the symbol of the nation. ‘Ram hain toh rashtra hain, rashtra hain toh Ram hain’.
The chief minister also spoke about the transformation of Ayodhya in recent years. “On an average, 1.5 to 2 lakh devotees are reaching Ayodhya every day… Before 2014, there was no electricity in Ayodhya. There was no cleanliness in Ayodhya… There was no airport in Ayodhya. But today Ayodhya has an international airport… Four-lane and six-lane roads have been built in Ayodhya. The ghats of the Saryu River attract tourists from all over the country,” he said.
First anniversary of Ram Mandir
The first anniversary celebrations of the Ram Mandir Prana Pratishtha ceremony are being held from January 11 to 13, featuring various spiritual and cultural programmes. The events include Agnihotra ceremony, chanting of six lakh Shri Ram Mantras, recitation of the Ram Raksha Stotra and Hanuman Chalisa .