'This is just the beginning. You have to wait and watch to see things getting better.'
As a festive spirit prevailed in Ayodhya, there was an emotional outpouring among residents of the holy city as the consecration of the new idol of Ram Lalla was held on Monday and said they indeed feel they are living in a divya (divine) Ayodhya, navya (new) Ayodhya and bhavya (grand) Ayodhya.
If Saudi Arabia, with just two Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina, can create a huge tourism-based ecosystem beyond oil, Ayodhya is sure to become the world's hottest religious tourism site in less than a decade, predicts R Jagannathan.
To truly understand Ayodhya's soul, Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com spoke to Ayodhya nivasis to find out how they respond to the new Ram temple in their midst, and the changes in their lives.
Sharing details about the decision, tourism minister Jaivir Singh said the tourism department would provide the company land for the international-level museum on a 90-year lease for a token amount of Re 1.
Sharing his experience on Instagram, Maharaj posted a photo from the temple with the caption 'Jai Shree Raam. Blessings to everyone.'
The primary drivers: Geopolitical disruptions inflating fuel and operational costs, and a surge in travel demand.
Not only will Arun Govil, Sunil Lahiri and Deepika Chikhalia attend the Pran Pratistha ceremony, Moti Sagar, Ramanand Sagar's son, also received an invitation.
With the spate of businesses turning their attention to Ayodhya, land rates have shot up, in some pockets by as much as 10 times. Whether one walks into a hotel lobby or sits down for a meal, land deals are being discussed at every other table -- one on one or among groups.
Only in the event of the RSS managing to force Modi into accepting a consensual candidate, will the party not continue to 'being' the 'next Congress', observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'Sri Ayodhyaji will emerge as the greatest centre of cultural togetherness, universal harmony, vasudeva kutumbakam, compassion, and love for every single living being on this Earth.'
A delegation representing the Ram Temple Trust on Friday called on President Droupadi Murmu and formally invited her to attend the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.
A senior RITES official said the new station building comes equipped with many modern facilities that passengers usually get at an airport, but the architecture of its facade "embraces tradition" in a nod to the upcoming Ram temple.
On January 16, 2024, devotees in Ayodhya lit the 108-feet incense stick that sent from Gujarat in the presence of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra President Mahant Nrityagopal Das Maharaj.
The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended six officials of civic agencies for gross negligence following road cave-ins and waterlogging at several sections of the newly-built Ram Path in Ayodhya.
On Monday, a new chapter will be written in Ayodhya's and the country's history with the consecration ceremony at the newly-built Ram temple which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and over 7,000 guests.
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.
The much-awaited Ram temple consecration will be held in Ayodhya on Monday in a grand ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals, following which the shrine will be opened for the public a day later.
Several seers on Monday came out strongly in support of the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram's idol at the temple in Ayodhya, which is scheduled for January 22, amid criticism of the exercise by some 'shankaracharyas' on the ground that the temple is not fully constructed yet.
Efficient land use, minimum congestion, a focus on dharamshalas (inns) and homestays, upgrading the infrastructure while retaining the historical and cultural character of the city are some of the highlights of the plan prepared by Kukreja, the managing principal of CP Kukreja Architects.
People in large numbers participated in the India Day Parade held in New York, United States.
While the Congress top brass has declined the invitation to the January 22 consecration ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram temple, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit plans to go ahead with its own event a week earlier in the holy town.
Taken from the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite hovering over space, the image shared by ISRO on Sunday shows the grand new temple which will be inaugurated on January 22.
"This entire period is highly sensitive in terms of law and order, healthcare, sanitation, education, and disaster management. Hence, all related departments and district administrations must work with coordination and accountability," Adityanath said, according to an official statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented gifts from Sri Ranganath Swamy temple in Tiruchirapalli to the newly constructed Ram temple in Ayodhya.
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.
The 70-year-old singer flew into Ayodhya on Friday afternoon with his crew and has a couple of performances in the city apart from attending the temple inauguration.
The Ayodhya municipal corporation is grappling with a unique problem: a massive pile of abandoned footwear left behind by devotees at the Ram temple. This issue has arisen due to a change in crowd management measures, leading to a long journey to retrieve shoes for many visitors, causing them to leave the temple barefoot.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ayodhya on December 30, the streets in the temple town in Uttar Pradesh are being decorated with flowers to give the city a 'divine look'.
NDRF director general Atul Karwal told PTI that the teams are undertaking continuous familiarisation exercises and conducting simulation drills in the temple town to respond to any contingency.
Gujarat was labelled Hindutva's crucible and Modi was to become the chief 'chemist'. A revealing political saga excerpted from Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay's The Demolition, the Verdict and the Temple: The Definitive Book on the Ram Mandir Project.
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.
The orange-strapped watch has a picture of Lord Ram and Hanuman, along with Ayodhya's Ram Janambhoomi Mandir.
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.
Priyanka Chopra made sure to visit Ayodhya with husband Nick Jonas and daughter Maltie Marie.
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.
The idol of Ram Lalla was unveiled on Monday at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in Ayodhya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A day ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, the streets and the skyline of Ayodhya have turned saffron with flags flying atop buildings, small and big, across the temple town.
Modi alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka gave reservations in tenders based on religion, "snatching the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs." But Ambedkar had said there would not be reservation based on religion and there is a bar on giving reservation on the basis of religion in the Constitution, he stressed.
Invitees to the 'pran pratishtha' consecration ceremony at the Ram temple started arriving Sunday in Ayodhya -- once a sleepy town now resplendent with new infrastructure and gripped by heightened religious fervour on the eve of a seminal event in India's political and religious history.
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