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• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Kuber Tila on the Ram temple premises in Ayodhya, offers prayers to Lord Shiva
  
• PM Modi showers flower petals on workers who were involved in the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya
  
• "Today in Ayodhya, along with Ram Lalla, India's pride has also returned. Today's event has become a symbol that a 'naya Bharat', which will provide relief to the world from tragedies, will definitely come up," says RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat after Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony
  
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• Prime Minister Modi offers 'dandavat pranam' to Lord Ram at new Ayodhya temple after consecration ceremony, reports PTI

The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the newly constructed temple here on Monday amid grand celebrations in the town, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the rituals.

Prime Minister Modi offers 'dandavat pranam' to Lord Ram TT online

The prime minister walked inside the temple premises with a silver 'chattar' (umbrella) placed on a red folded dupatta.

Dressed in a golden kurta teamed up with a cream dhoti and patka, he took ‘sankalp’ for the “pran pratishtha ceremony” and later moved to the sanctum sanctorum for the rituals, PTI reported and news television channels aired.The

The 'shyam' Ram Lalla idol consecrated at Ayodhya Ram temple TT Online

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present inside the sanctorum during the rituals.

Army helicopters showered flower petals on the temple premises when the consecration took place.

"The extraordinary moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lala's life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine program. Hail Siya Ram!," Modi said on X.

Modi will later address the gathering after the ceremony. He is also scheduled to visit the Kuber Tila. He will also interact with workers associated with the construction of the temple.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi says consecration of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya an extraordinary moment that would make everyone full of emotions. "It is a matter of great privilege to be part of this divine programme," he said on X
  
• flower petals being showered on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

• PM Modi, in presence of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP CM Yogi Adityanath conducts pran prathishta rituals, unveils idol of Ram Lalla
  

• PM Modi reaches the sanctum sanctorum of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to perform Pran Pratishtha rituals
  

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Prime minister walked inside the temple premises with a silver 'chattar' (umbrella) placed on a red folded dupatta
• Nepal's Janakpurdham, birthplace of Sita, decks up for Ram Temple consecration
  
• Sachin Tendulkar arrives at Ram temple ahead of the grand ceremony

• Singer Anuradha Paudwal performs bhajan at Pran Pratistha ceremony in Ayodhya

• Singer Sankar Mahadevan performs bhajan ahead of the consecration ceremony

• 'Ganga Maha Aarti' to be held at Varanasi's Dashashwamedh Ghat
  
• Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, arrives in Ayodhya
  

• Singer Sonu Nigam performs 'Ram Siya Ram' at Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple in ahead of the 'Pran Pratishtha'

• Celebrity couples Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal-Katrina Kaif reach Ayodhya
  
• Superstar Rajnikanth arrives at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple
• PM Narendra Modi arrives at Ayodhya Airport, reports PTI

The invitees to the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple continued to arrive at the temple town on Monday morning with locals and devotees gathering on both sides of the road waving saffron flags and dancing to the tunes of songs dedicated to Lord Ram.

Religious fervour gripped Ayodhya with biting cold failing to dampen the spirits of those who have flocked here to witness the historic moment. The holy town is all set to welcome Lord Ram with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to participate in the consecration ceremony.

The invitees who arrived early this morning included RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Anupam Kher, Kailash Kher, Jubin Nautiyal, Prasson Joshi, Manoj Joshi, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Ravishankar Prasad and Anil Ambani, reports PTI.

Hema Malini, Kangana Ranaut, Sr Sri Ravishankar, Morari Bapu, Rajnikant, Pavan Kalyan. Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Shefali Shah and Sonu Nigam arrived in Ayodhya on Sunday.

'Ram dhun' played in the streets from early morning, as security personnel kept a tight vigil across the Ayodhya districts.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- will be attended by people from all walks of life, including representatives of major spiritual and religious sects of the country and of various tribal communities and prominent personalities.

According to temple trust, all invitees will have a bell which they will ring during the aarti. Army helicopters were shower flower petals during the aarti.

The ceremony will begin at 12:20 pm, and according to the temple trust, it is expected to end by 1 pm. Following this, the prime minister will address the gathering.

"The prime minister will also interact with 'shramjeevis' associated with the construction of the temple," a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is in charge of the construction and management of the Ram temple, said.

Modi will also visit Kuber Tila, where an ancient Shiv temple has been restored. He will perform a 'pooja' there, the member said.

The magnificent Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir has been constructed in the traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet, width 250 feet and height 161 feet. It is supported by 392 pillars and has 44 doors.

The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods and goddesses. The idol of Ram Lalla has been placed in the sanctum sanctorum on the temple's ground floor.

The consecration rituals for the 'Pran Pratishtha' started from the Saryu river on January 16 and will be completed on Monday afternoon on the 'Abhijeet Muhurta', according to the trust.

Lakhs of people are expected to watch the event live on TV and online platforms as the Central government has announced a half-day off on January 22 and many states followed suit.

Temples across the country have announced special festivities on the occasion. From Washington DC to Paris to Sydney, events have been also planned in various parts of the world by either the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) or Hindu diaspora groups.

Fourteen couples from various parts of India will be the 'yajmaans' (hosts) for the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla. The idol was sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj and was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple last Thursday.

The Ram temple has been decorated with "rich stocks" of flowers and special lights and the entire city is drenched in religious fervour.

Streetlights on flyovers have been decorated with artwork depicting Lord Ram as well as cutouts of bow and arrow, and ornamental lampposts carry designs themed on the traditional "Ramanandi tilak".

A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony, with 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the movement of people. Police personnel in plain clothes have been deployed at the venue.

Movable barriers with barbed wires attached to them can be spotted at every prominent crossroads in the temple town, as police use them to regulate traffic, especially during VVIP movements. Multiple NDRF teams trained to tackle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks, drowning incidents and disasters like earthquakes have also been deployed.

While more than 7,000 people are on the list of invitees for the event, the select list features 506 A-listers. Business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani are among the prominent people invited to the event.

Those attending the "Pran Prathishtha" also include people linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Almost all opposition leaders invited to the ceremony have declined to be in attendance, with the Congress calling it a "BJP-RSS event".

The consecration ceremony is being held after the first phase of the temple’s construction, made possible by a historic Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit. The Hindu litigants argued that the Babri Mosque was constructed at the site of a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram.

In 1992, the 16th-century mosque was demolished by "kar sevaks".