In celebration of an early Diwali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit diyas at his Delhi home on Monday night, just hours after leading the ‘pranpratishtha’ of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Images displayed stern-looking PM Modi, adorned in a yellow shawl around his shoulders, lighting elaborate bronze lamps and diyas, and bowing down to cutouts of Ram Lalla.
The Prime Minister posted the images to X with the comment, “Ram Jyoti”. The purpose of lighting diyas is to simulate the way that Ram’s followers celebrated his return following a 14-year banishment.
रामज्योति! #RamJyoti pic.twitter.com/DTxg2QquTT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024
Earlier today, after the ‘pran pratishtha‘ ceremony, for which the Prime Minister reportedly prepared by sleeping on the floor and eating/drinking only coconut water for 11 days, called on all Indians to mark Diwali this evening to “welcome Lord Ram into your home”.
Also read: Ram Devotees Celebrate Globally The Consecration Of ‘Ram Lalla’ In Ayodhya
“Ram Lalla is seated in his opulent Ayodhya temple today. I’m asking everyone to light a Ram Jyoti and welcome him into their homes on this auspicious occasion. “Jai Siya Ram.”
After the consecration, the Prime Minister spoke to a large gathering of several thousand people, some of whom were prominent Bollywood and sports figures. He said that the installation of the Ram Lalla signalled the start of a new era and that the building of the temple had given people a “new energy”.
After waiting centuries, Lord Ram has finally arrived (in his abode). “Our Lord Ram has finally arrived after the patience we showed for centuries and the sacrifices we made,” he said, calling today “the beginning of an era” and asserting that India had “broken the shackles of slavery.”
अयोध्या धाम में आज राम लला अपने भव्य मंदिर में विराजमान हुए हैं। इस पुनीत अवसर पर सभी देशवासियों से मेरा आग्रह है कि रामज्योति प्रज्वलित कर अपने घरों में भी उनका स्वागत करें। जय सियाराम! #RamJyoti pic.twitter.com/jllwCKNaym
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024
Drawing on the emotions of the moment, the PM also said he had “sought Lord Ram’s forgiveness for the delay in constructing the temple”, which has been built where a 16th century mosque was raised by Hindu right-wing members in 1992, triggering a spate of communal violence and killings.
The green light for the temple was finally given by the Supreme Court in November 2019. The court acknowledged the Muslim side had been wronged but relied on an archaeological report – which claimed a pre-existing structure beneath the mosque – to rule in favour of the Hindu groups.
In his speech the Prime Minister offered the judiciary a shout-out, saying, “I would like to thank the judiciary that delivered justice and (allowed) Lord Ram’s temple was built in a legal manner…”
Also read: Ram Devotees Celebrate Globally The Consecration Of ‘Ram Lalla’ In Ayodhya
In the meantime, PM Modi visited the Kuber Tila on the temple grounds in Ayodhya and prayed to Lord Shiva following the 84-second “pran pratishtha” ritual. On the grounds of the temple, he also unveiled a statue of Jatayu, the legendary bird that Ravana killed in an attempt to save Sita.
