'Consecration' of Ram idol at Ayodhya Ram Temple to take place between January 15-24 next year

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 17 (ANI): General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Champat Rai announced that the the 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) of the Lord Ram idol at the sanctum-sanctorum of the under-construction Ram Temple at Ayodhya will take place between January 15-24 next year.
While speaking to media persons on Sunday about the consecration ceremony of the Ram idol at the Ayodhya temple, Champat Rai said that the idol of the deity that would be consecrated will be in the form of a child.
"The idol of God which will be consecrated in the Garbhagriha will be in the form of a child. All the construction works will be completed by October and all other works in the month of December. Whichever date is best between January 15, 2024, to January 24, 2024, the deity will be consecrated on that day," stated Champat Rai.
'Garbhagriha' is the location of the murti (statue or icon) of the temple's primary deity.
The ritual or ceremony known as "Prana Pratishtha" is used to dedicate a murti (a receptacle for the spirit of a god) in a Hindu temple. During this ritual, hymns and mantras are read to welcome the deity as a resident guest and the murti's eye is opened for the first time.
Earlier in June, as the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was underway General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Champat Rai shared pictures of the Temple on Twitter.
In this regard, Champat Rai took to Twitter and said, "Some photographs of the progress of the grand temple construction work of Lord Shri Ram."
Earlier, the temple trust said that Ram Temple in Ayodhya has entered the final ground floor construction phase.
"The progress is being monitored on a daily basis by senior functionaries and actual issues getting addressed. After the completion of the Temple foundation, raft and plinth, the placement of Bansi Paharpur Rajasthan stone on the three-storey Temple is in full swing. Apart from Garbh Grah (Sanctum Sanctorum), the temple has five Mandaps - Gudh Mandap, Rang Mandap, Nritya Mandap, Prathana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap," the statement said.
On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple and since then the construction work of the temple is going on.
Union Minister Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that the Ram Temple will be opened for devotees by January 1, next year.
On November 9, 2019, a five-judge Supreme Court bench led by then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ruled in favour of Ram Lalla and said that the entire disputed land spread over 2.7 acres will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of a Ram Temple at the site. (ANI)