Ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the sale of liquor has been banned on the Panchkosi Parikrama Marg of the temple town, Uttar Pradesh Minister Nitin Agarwal said.

The "pran pratishtha", or the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol, will take part on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in it.

"Ayodhya is a major pilgrimage place where people from the entire country and the world arrive to have a glimpse of Ram Lalla. Under the guidance of Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath), it was decided to ban the sale of liquor on Ayodhya's Panchkosi Parikrama Marg," said Agarwal, the minister of state (independent charge) for Excise and Prohibition.

"A prohibition has been declared there. All wine shops there have been removed and nobody will (be allowed to) open liquor shops there," he said on Thursday.

According to Mahant Raju Das of the Hanumangarhi temple, Panchkosi Parikrama takes place on the 'ekadashi' after Diwali. Devotees undertaking the parikrama cover a distance of around 50 kilometres.

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