Thousands descend on Ayodhya for ‘Pran Pratishtha’ 1st anniversary as per Gregorian calendar

AYODHYA: Devotees thronged the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya as the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’ completes one year on January 22 as per the Gregorian calendar. However, the first anniversary was celebrated on January 11, 2025, following the alignment of the Hindu calendar.

Last year, this sacred event was celebrated on Kurma Dwadashi during the Shukla Paksha of the Hindu calendar’s Paush month. Therefore, this year, the Shukla Paksha fell on January 11.

#WATCH | Ayodhya, UP | Devotees throng to Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Lalla’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’ completing 1 year.

Ravi from Hyderabad says, “We had been planning for three months for this date… Three days before we went to Prayagraj and took a… pic.twitter.com/CTJWnGbIrU

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2025

The historic ceremony took place on January 22, 2024, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the main rituals. The idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ was carved by Arun Yogiraj, a famed sculptor from Mysuru in Karnataka. The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.

Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das also explained the logic behind January 22 also being marked as the anniversary of Pran Pratishtha. “… According to the Hindu calendar, it (Pran Pratishtha) happened on Dwadashi, so the anniversary was celebrated on the 11th… But the Pran Pratishtha of the Lord happened on 22nd January, so many people are coming today for darshan… Those who understand according to English date are coming today… Today people are having darshan very well… Some have returned from Prayag, so there is a huge crowd…,” said Acharya Satyendra Das.

#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das says, “… According to the Hindi calendar, it (Pran Pratishtha) happened on Dwadashi, so anniversary was celebrated on the 11th… But the Pran Pratishtha of the Lord happened on… pic.twitter.com/LquHdSGde9

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2025

“This year it (Pran Pratishtha) was celebrated according to the Dwadashi date, so the next (year) will also be celebrated in the same way, according to Dwadashi. One year ago it was unique in itself, it was the second, it was amazing and that is why there was a huge crowd there… It was how Prayagraj is feeling today…,” he elaborated further.

Visuals from this morning saw huge crowds heading to the temple premises raising chants of Jai Shri Ram, while security has been deployed to manage the rush. One of the devotees Ravi from Hyderabad said, “We had been planning for three months for this date… Three days before we went to Prayagraj and took a dip (at Maha Kumbh)… It took 500 years of struggle for this moment… Preparations have been made well, whether it be the queue system, security system, or comfortability inside the temple…”

Another devotee, Vijaylakshmi, from Rajasthan, said, “We are here to celebrate his (Ram Lalla) birthday. We are very excited… It’s his blessings because of which we are here today… Many people worked hard to establish Ram Lalla in Ayodhya…”

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jaiveer Singh called the day historic and said After 500 years of struggle and sacrifices Ram temple was constructed in Ayodhya. Singh also mentioned the Uttar Pradesh government holding a special cabinet meeting at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj today.

“It is a historic day. After 500 years of struggle and sacrifices, on this day last year, ‘Ram Lalla’ became ‘virajman’ in Ayodhya. Today, we have the opportunity to attend the world’s largest spiritual gathering of Mahakumbh. It is due to the blessings of God that we have got this opportunity today,” said Jaiveer Singh.

“What is more fortunate is that the UP is headed by a ‘sant’ and a Cabinet meeting will be held here, in which many decisions for the welfare of the people will be taken…All members of the Cabinet will take a holy dip in Triveni Sangam today”, he added. (ANI)