AYODHYA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (August 5, 2020) performed the ground
-breaking ceremony during which he laid the foundation stone for the construction of a grand Ram
Temple in the holy town of Ayodhya.
While addressing an august gathering of 175 distinguished guests, PM Modi said, “A grand temple will
now be built for our Ram Lalla who had been staying in a tent. Today, Ram Janmbhoomi breaks free
of the cycle of breaking and getting built again – that had been going on for centuries.’’
The Prime Minister further said, “It is my good fortune that I was invited to witness this historical
moment… From Kanyakumari to Kshirbhavani, from Koteshwar to Kamakhya, from Jagannath to
Kedarnath, Somnath to Kashi Vishwanath…today entire country is immersed in Lord Ram.”
The PM, who began his speech with ‘Jai Siyaram’, said, “This call is resonating not only in the city of
Lord Ram but throughout the world today. I express gratitude to all citizens of this nation, Indian
diaspora across the world and all the devotees of Lord Ram on today’s pious occasion.”
The PM went on to say “Ram Mandir will become the modern symbol of our traditions. It’ll become a
symbol of our devotion, our national sentiment. This temple will also symbolise the power of the
collective resolution of crores of people. It will keep inspiring future generations.”
While stressing that ”Ram is omnipresent and belongs to all humanity,” the PM said, ”I believe that this
grand Ram temple, like the name of Shri Ram, will reflect the rich heritage of Indian culture. I believe it
will inspire the entire humanity till eternity.”
PM Narendra Modi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Ram Temple trust
president Nritya Gopal Das and a group of chief priests performed the foundation stone laying
ceremony amid chants of the Vedic Mantras.
The Prime Minister also unveiled the plaque of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in the presence of Ram
Mandir Trust president Nitya Gopal Das, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, UP Governor Anandiben Patel
and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and many others. He also released a commemorative postage stamp
on the ‘Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir’.
Today’s ‘bhoomi pujan’ of a Supreme Court-mandated Ram temple in Ayodhya brought to fruition the
BJP’s ‘mandir’ movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.
The guest list, including religious leaders who formed part of the movement that started in the 1980s,
was restricted to 175 in view of the COVID-19 crisis.
As a priest chanted Sanskrit ‘shlokas’ and the ground-breaking ceremony got underway under a giant
marquee decorated in shades of reds and yellows, PM Modi and the other dignitaries, all in masks,
maintained social distancing and sat a safe distance away from each other.
Slogans of ‘Bharat Mataki Jai’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ went up as the ritual ended and the Prime
Minister laid the foundation of the temple.
Bhajans and ‘shlokas’ were heard as the town, festooned with marigold flowers and yellow and saffron
flags, celebrated the beginning of the construction of a grand Ram temple. Roads leading to Ayodhya
were adorned with hoardings of the proposed temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram, the deity now
housed in a makeshift temple.
Most shops were painted in bright yellow. The Prime Minister arrived in Ayodhya in a helicopter
where Adityanath among others received him.
Before the function to lay the foundation stone of the ‘Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir’, the Prime
Minister took part in prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple. From there, he travelled to the ‘Shree Ram
Janmabhoomi’ where he performed prayers at the ‘Bhagwan Shree Ramlala Virajman’.
He also planted a Parijat (Indian night jasmine) sapling. Huge CCTV screens had been set up across
the holy city in order to allow the people to watch the ceremony live once it begins.
Every street in Ayodhya illuminated with earthen lamps ahead of the foundation stone laying ceremony
of the Ram Temple on Wednesday.
People also lit diyas on the banks of Saryu river as part of the ‘deepotsava’ celebrations in the temple
town. The entire Ayodhya city was fully decked up and massive preparations were made for this
occasion with a festive air.
Centre’s coronavirus COVID-19 protocols were put in place and the social distancing norms were
strictly followed ahead of the much-awaited Ram Temple Bhomi Pujan in Ayodhya, which is slated to
begin with great fervor around 12.40 PM.
In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sanitisation work was also done at the Hanuman Garhi temple in
the morning ahead of the Prime Minister`s visit.
Over 11,000 diyas were lit across the city of Ayodhya, illuminating every street and all household in
Ayodhya celebrated ‘deepotsava’, a festival of lights.
