Ram Temple gives hope to ‘suppressed’ civilisations: UP CM on Ram Lalla idol consecration anniversary

PTI, Jan 11, 2025, 8:48 PM IST

Yogi Adityanath (PTI / File)

Ayodhya (UP): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is a reminder to the “suppressed” civilisations and cultures of the world that they can assert their rights democratically and constitutionally.

Addressing a programme held on the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol at the temple, Adityanath said not losing patience even after countless sacrifices and going through an ‘agnipariksha’ (trial by fire) was integral to the Ram Mandir campaign.

The chief minister bowed in front of Ram Lalla’s idol, lit a lamp, offered flowers and performed an aarti. He also paid tributes to the late Ashok Singhal, former working president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and one of the key architects of the Ram Temple movement.

Adityanath said to mark the completion of one year of the consecration of the idol of Ram Lalla, a three-day event has been organised by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

On the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony today, “We are all feeling proud… we are overwhelmed,” he said.

It was every Indian’s dream to see the Ram Temple and they have waited patiently for this dream to come true, Adityanath said.

A positive beginning was made on November 9, 2019, when the judiciary unanimously ruled that the disputed structure in Ayodhya was Ramjanmabhoomi. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a grand Ram Mandir and on January 22, 2024, Modi ended the wait of 500 years by installing Ram Lalla’s idol, he said.

The chief minister said that on average, one-and-half to two lakh devotees visit Ayodhya every day.

Ten years ago, nobody had thought that Ayodhya would get its rights. Before 2017, Ayodhya got electricity for three to four hours. The water of Saryu ji used to rot in Ram Ki Paidi, he said.

Thousands of years ago, after conquering Lanka, Lord Ram came to Ayodhya in the Pushpak Vimaan yet there was no airport here. But today, Ayodhya has an international airport, he said.

When the Ramjanmabhoomi complex is completed, Ayodhya is going to become the most beautiful, spiritual, and religious dham. It will become the most magnificent city, he said.

Ayodhya, the capital of Suryavansh, has become the first solar city of the country and this is the new Uttar Pradesh of a new India, he said.

However, this did not happen in a day. It is the result of a long struggle and several generations passed away with just one wish — to see Ram Lalla enthroned in Ayodhya, he said.

“We are indebted to the countless Ram bhakts, kar sevaks and revered saints, who did not deviate from their path even after going through an agnipariksha,” he said.

From 1528 to December 6, 1992, the Hindu society kept working and struggling to get back the Ram Janmabhoomi. Three generations of the Gorakshpeeth remained associated with the campaign, he said.

Adityanath recalled that in 2014, when his guru Mahant Avaidyanath was breathing his last in a hospital, he had his last conversation with Singhal.

“Guru ji was not speaking for many days… but he asked Ashok ji if the Ram Mandir would be built. Ashok ji assured him that it would happen,” he said.

On the occasion, Adityanath also pitched for unity among the Hindu community.

“When the society was divided, the places of worship were being insulted. If we remain divided based on caste and other ideologies, then we may have to constantly face humiliation.

“If the bond of national unity is strong, then Sanatan Dharma, the country and all of us will also be strong. But, if the country is divided or weakened and we are divided based on caste, region-linguistics, then the religious places, sisters and daughters will have to bear the brunt of it first,” he said.

The chief minister said Modi had asserted during last year’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony that Ram was a symbol of the nation.

“If there is Ram, there is nation, if there is nation, there is Ram. Both cannot be seen separately, both are complementary to each other,” he said.

“From north to south, east to west, India exists today because of these deities. A new India is moving ahead under the leadership of PM Modi,” he added.