Tripura announces half-day for govt offices, educational institutions on Jan 22

AGARTALA (Tripura): All the government offices and educational institutions across Tripura will remain closed until 2:30 PM on January 22 to enable employees to participate in the celebrations of Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya, officials said.

All the State Government Offices and educational institutions across the state of Tripura will remain closed till 2:30 PM on 22 January to enable the employees to participate in the celebrations of Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya: Government of Tripura pic.twitter.com/8FGbWrLOtt

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2024

The decision was taken in light of the inauguration of the Ram Temple on January 22.

The order was issued by Asim Sahai, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Tripura.

Central Government also announced that all offices will be closed for half-day on January 22 on the occasion of the Pran Pratishta ceremony of Ram Lalla idol at Ayodhya Ram Temple due to the overwhelming sentiments and requests from employees.

“The Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on January 22, 2024 across India. To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all central government offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments throughout India will be closed for half a day till 1430 hours on January 22,” according to a memo by the Department of Personnel and Training.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced on Thursday that all government offices will remain closed on January 22 till 2:30 pm due to the Temple event.

CM Sai told ANI, “All government offices will remain closed till 2:30 pm on January 22 given the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The purpose behind this is that all the people can see the programme and participate in it…”

Meanwhile, the idol of Lord Ram was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in Ram Temple, Ayodhya, on Thursday.

Covered with a veil, the first photo of the idol was revealed during the placement ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday.

The photos were shared by Sharad Sharma, media in-charge of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Vedic Brahmins and revered Acharyas were seen leading worship ceremonies inside the sacred precincts of the Sri Ram Temple.
According to the VHP, members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra also participated in the prayers.

The idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ was carved by Arun Yogiraj – a famed sculptor from 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.

The Pran Pratishta ceremony will be held in Ayodhya on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals to mark the ‘Pran Pratishtha’, however, a team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will perform the main rituals.

Several celebrities and noted personalities have also been invited to the ceremony.

There will be Amrit Mahotsav in Ayodhya from January 14 to January 22. (ANI)