In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the motive behind the inauguration of the "incomplete" temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS.
"I have always felt that Lord Ram has been shielding me and my family from all the bad times and I strongly believe that it is him, who chose me for the auspicious task," Yogiraj, who has received effusive praise for his work, told PTI.
Swami Giri said the trust has so far collected more than Rs 3200 crore in donations from individuals and organizations within the country.
Watch the bhoomi pujan of the grand temple here.
There was much speculation on a likely meeting between Bhagwat and Adityanath, especially in the backdrop of the BJP's recent electoral reverses in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the triumphant Indian women's cricket team at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg on Wednesday.
Here is the chronology of events in the Ayodhya Ram temple issue.
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.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said 13 persons were detained for an alleged assault on a group of persons taking out a vehicle rally in Mira Bhayander area adjoining Mumbai on the eve of the Ram Temple idol consecration in Ayodhya.
Participating in the eighth edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya - the first since the consecration of Ram temple on January 22, Adityanath said, "This is a historic first as after 500 years, Lord Ram is now in his abode in Ayodhya for Diwali."
Beginning his speech with 'Jai Siya Ram', the prime minister told the gathering that a grand temple will now be built for 'Ram Lalla', the infant Ram, who had been living in a temporary tent for years.
Later, Pratibha Singh said she and her son Vikramaditya Singh have received a joint invitation and she is yet to take a call on attending the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22.
Before you catch a brawny Prabhas as the Prince of Ayodhya in its VFX-heavy edition, Sukanya Verma looks at the many, many on screen portrayals of Ram over the years.
Special prayers are offered twice every day, followed by morning and evening prayers, in the temple before the chief minister's idol.
'It's a nice feeling to hear 'Ram Siya Ram' in the background'
'Are we expected to merely sit outside and applaud when the prime minister installs the idol of Ram Lalla?
In some Bihar constituencies, candidates named Ram are fighting each other.
Shamshad said according to Muslims, there is a graveyard known as 'Ganj Shahidan' around the demolished Babri Masjid where 75 Muslims who lost their lives in the 1885 riots in Ayodhya were buried.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi took charge as the eighth chief minister of Delhi on Monday and said she would work like Bharat did by keeping his elder brother Lord Ram's 'khadaun' (wooden slippers) on Ayodhya's throne.
As Ayodhya readies itself for the glittering, much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22, and as millions of pilgrims and devotees pour into the holy city for the momentous event, companies are rushing to do their bit and be a part of the mega celebrations. Some are offering a part of their profits as donations, telcos are beefing up the number of cellular towers to ensure better connectivity, and there are those distributing jalebis and food platters.
Ashok Choudhary on Tuesday sent a Rs 100 crore defamation notice to Prashant Kishor and described the allegations as baseless and 'blatant lies'.
The bricks were sent by devotees of Lord Ram from around the world in 1989. There are 2,75,000 such bricks, out of which 100 bricks with 'Jai Shri Ram' engraving have been taken.
Shubham Dwivedi, a 31-year-old businessman from Kanpur who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, was cremated at his native village with full state honours on Thursday morning. The cremation was attended by Uttar Pradesh Cabinet ministers Yogendra Upadhyay and Rakesh Sachan, who placed wreaths on Dwivedi's mortal remains and offered their condolences to the bereaved family. A guard of honour was also presented to the departed soul. Dwivedi, who got married to Ashanya on February 12, was among the 26 persons, mostly tourists, who were killed on Tuesday at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam in Anantnag district in one of the most gruesome attacks targeting civilians in Kashmir in a long time.
'If Lord Ram can forgive Manthara, if he can forgive Kaikeyi, if he can even forgive Ravan after the great battle was done, surely you can let go of this extremely small thing in comparison... not that I need your forgiveness.'
This visit by the prime minister comes weeks ahead of the 'pran pratishtha' or consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.
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.
This time, Ranveer Singh's OTT gesture broke the internet.
Leaders, including the President and Vice President, react to the bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The senior advocate had on Tuesday told the court that the birth place of Lord Ram is also a deity and Muslims cannot claim right over the 2.77-acre disputed land in Ayodhya as any division of the property would amount to "destruction" and "mutilation" of the deity itself.
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani has said the Ram Janmbhoomi movement, whose primary objective was construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, also became a symbol of 'reclaiming the true meaning of secularism from the onslaught of pseudo-secularism'.
'It was Ramji's blessing that we got darshan.'
'When Prabhas informed his mother that he is turning vegetarian, she threw a fit.'
When the bench asked Sibal 'shouldn't we hear the matter', he replied, 'Yes. You shouldn't.'
This act of aggression comes in the wake of heightened tensions in the area, where celebratory processions and commercial establishments have been the target of violence.
Earlier, another Congress legislator, Arjun Singh Kakodiya, had called Lord Shiva and Bajrangbali, or Lord Hanuman, tribals.
Banners terming Kejriwal "anti-Hindu" and showing him wearing a skull cap surfaced in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara cities on Saturday.
Advani and Dr Joshi might not attend the consecration ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Advani is 96 and Dr Joshi will turn 90 next month.
The action came Sunday evening at the joint complaint of Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagran Manch, and Bajrang Dal.
Yogiraj's brother Suryaprakash said it was a memorable day for the family.
