Das served as the head priest since he was 20 years old, including during the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
The submissions were made during the eighth day hearing in the case before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
Ayodhya resonated with devotional fervour on Tuesday morning as thousands of devotees streamed into the temple town ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to ceremonially hoist a saffron flag atop the Ram temple, marking the formal completion of its construction.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed poll rallies in West Bengal, promising to tackle corruption and illegal immigration if the BJP comes to power. He criticised the current TMC government and outlined the BJP's plans for the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed poll rallies in West Bengal, attacking Mamata Banerjee's TMC and promising development if the BJP wins the state elections. He accused Banerjee of appeasement politics and vowed to prevent the construction of a Babri Masjid-like structure in Bengal.
The Ram temple at Ayodhya will see the installation of a 'Ram Darbar' next month, which will be open for devotees from June 6. The event will also mark the completion of the construction of the temple, which started in 2020. The installation of the Ram Darbar will take place on May 23 and will be a religious ceremony with pujas being held before it is opened to devotees on June 6.
The construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is going on in full swing with the temple likely to open for devotees in January 2024.
The temple trust shared the incident, that took place on Tuesday night, on its official 'X' handle.
Glimpses of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya during the Dhwajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony in Ayodhya, November 25, 2025.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ceremonially hoisted a saffron flag atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya, marking the formal completion of its construction.
Two elderly devotees from Haryana, who had come to pay obeisance at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, died on Monday. Police have denied social media claims that the deaths were caused by a stampede. The devotees, a woman and a man, fainted outside the temple and were rushed to Sri Ram Hospital where they died. Both victims were aged above 60 and are yet to be identified. The exact cause of the deaths is not known but officials suspect that they died of cardiac arrest.
A flag-hoisting ceremony is planned for the Ram temple in Ayodhya in November, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to be the chief guest. The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust has shortlisted two dates in November for the event, with preparations gaining momentum.
Here is the chronology of events in the Ayodhya Ram temple issue.
He also said that now everyone should listen to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's advice to shun habit of fighting on small disputes.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi confirmed as much on his social media handle on Monday, saying a renowned idol-maker from the 'land of Hanuman' will see his piece of creation find pride of place at the Ram Temple on January 22.
The three-day celebrations began on Saturday with a recital of Yajurveda and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath performing an 'abhishek' on the Ram Lalla idol.
While main events throughout the country were organised on Sunday by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, several community members gathered at the iconic Times Square in New York to celebrate the historic event.
'Are we expected to merely sit outside and applaud when the prime minister installs the idol of Ram Lalla?
Ayodhya is decked up for the grand pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) of Lord Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
A total of 45 kilograms of pure gold has been used in the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, according to Nripendra Mishra, the chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday said Ram Rajya is coming and everyone in the country should shun disputes and stay united.
After visiting Ayodhya for the pran prathishta ceremony at the Ram mandir in January, Amitabh Bachchan returned for another darshan.
Led by Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed Muslim organisation, the group started their journey from Lucknow on January 25, Shahid Saeed, media in-charge of MRM, said on Wednesday.
The gifts were in a bag that had a striking graphic image of the new temple and of Lord Ram in a very young avatar.
According to Hindu scriptures, Ganga Dussehra marks the day the holy river Ganga descended to Earth from Lord Shiva's locks, moved by King Bhagirath's penance. The day is considered highly auspicious and symbolises virtue, penance, and the collective well-being of humanity.
Besides the present CJI Chandrachud, former CJIs Ranjan Gogoi and SA Bobde and former judges Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer were part of the bench which had delivered the historic verdict on November 9, 2019.
Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav, who was embroiled in controversy for his speech at a VHP event in December, has opted out of a seminar on the Ram temple movement in the Kumbh Mela area on January 22. Yadav was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the seminar, which is being held to mark the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in the Ayodhya temple.
Mishra cited a shortage of around 200 workers and the need to replace certain stones on the temple's first floor as primary reasons for the delay.
Temples across Uttar Pradesh were packed with devotees on Sunday for Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading prayers at the Gorakhnath Temple. Heavy crowds were witnessed at temples in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi, where security was heightened. In Gorakhpur, Adityanath performed the traditional kanya pujan ritual, while in Varanasi, a 51-foot statue of Lord Ram has become a major attraction. The festival was celebrated with enthusiastic fervor across the state.
Taking note of the expected rush for the ceremony, divisional commissioner Gaurav Dayal on Wednesday convened a meeting of hotel owners of Ayodhya in preparation and instructed them to decorate their hotels to give a warm welcome to their guests during the consecration ceremony.
Seema Devi (53), who heads the Gadwara nagar panchayat, and Shesha Devi (65), the Sadar block head -- feel that they won the elections with the god's blessings, so they have decided to dedicate theirs chair to him, according to their supporters.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has appealed to devotees from nearby areas to postpone their visit to Ayodhya for 15-20 days, citing the large number of devotees flocking to the town since January 26. The trust said this will allow devotees from distant places to have an easier darshan experience. The appeal comes as Ayodhya has witnessed a footfall of around 40 lakh devotees since Monday, choking the roads and bylanes leading to the Ram Temple with huge traffic snarls.
'I speak after asking Ram Lalla. I spoke with Ram Lalla's inspiration'
Atal (Bihari Vajpayee), Advani and Joshi have contributed a lot for the BJP to reach where it is now, he said.
Many people have received fake messages related to VIP invitations, donation drives and prasaad of the mega event.
Around five lakh devotees visited the Ram temple complex on day one as it opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, a day after the consecration ceremony, according to officials.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday confirmed reports of an invitation to Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, adding that she was 'very positive on this matter'.
Legendary Indian batter Mithali Raj on Thursday received an invitation to attend the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22.
Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com decodes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech after the Pran Prathistha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodha.
Since January 23, the deity was woken up at 4 am for morning rituals. It takes around two hours before devotees are allowed to have 'darshan' and it continues till 10 pm.
