Chief Priest, Acharya Satyendra Das Anticipates ‘Great Happiness’ as Ayodhya Gears Up for Inauguration

With the grand inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya just a day away, Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple, expressed his joy ahead of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, deeming it a moment of ‘great happiness’ to ceremonially restore Lord Ram to His birthplace. Scheduled to commence at 12:30 pm on Monday, the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ holds immense significance, marking the ceremonial enthronement of Shri Ram Lalla.

Acharya Das shared insights into the rituals, emphasizing the completion of Vedic verses that began on January 16. He detailed the sequence of events for the ‘Pran Pratishtha,’ including a ritual bath in the Saryu River, adorning with clothes and trinkets, feeding ‘Prasada,’ and the performance of a ‘Shringar Aarti’ before allowing devotees to witness the deity.

The placement of the tent idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple was set for 8 pm on the auspicious day of ‘Ekadashi.’ The idol, carried by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth and dignitaries, symbolizes a historic moment in the Ram Janmabhoomi saga. Responding to Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s remarks about the idol not resembling a child, Acharya Das dismissed them as ‘meaningless’ and suggested that such comments were either uninformed or politically motivated.

The newly seated idol, sculpted by Arun Yogiraj, stands 51 inches tall, weighs 1.5 tonnes, and portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to perform rituals for the ‘Pran Pratishtha,’ with a team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit overseeing the main rituals. The ceremony has garnered attention, with several celebrities and noted personalities receiving invitations to partake in this historic occasion, underscoring the national and cultural significance of the grand temple’s inauguration.