Celebrations for the first anniversary of the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol in Ayodhya began on Saturday with a large number of devotees flocking to the holy city to take part in the celebrations.

Religious and cultural programs will begin in the Ram temple premises from Saturday. The anniversary celebrations started with the recitation of Yajarveda.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will ‘abhishek’ Ram Lalla. The grand aarti of the deity will take place around 12.20 pm, after which 56 dishes will be offered to the deity.

Ram Lalla’s court is decorated with flowers.

Anup Mishra, a local resident who has reached the temple to witness the anniversary celebrations, said, “We could not reach Ram Janmabhoomi when Puran Pratishtha It was done in January 2024, but this time we are lucky enough to reach the court of Ram Lalla on the first anniversary.

Another devotee, Sarla Maheshwari who has come from Bhopal, said, “We reached Ayodhya two days ago to participate in the anniversary celebrations, and felt excited that we would see the deity today.”

Scheduled from January 11 to 13, the celebrations aim to include the general public, who were unable to attend the historic event last year, along with around 110 invited VIPs, according to the temple trust.

A German hangar tent has been installed at the Angad Tela site, which has the capacity to host 5,000 people. The general public will have the opportunity to witness this grand event, which includes classical cultural performances, rituals, and daily Ram Katha discourses in the pavilion and Yaganshala.

“The trust has decided to invite the general public who could not attend the initial consecration ceremony last year. They will be allowed to join the three-day celebrations at Angad Tela,” Champat Roy, Shri Ram. General Secretary of Janmabhoomi Tirth Trust. said before.

The trust also said that invitation letters have been distributed to guests, including 110 VIPs, many of whom missed the actual Pran Pratishtha ceremony on January 22, 2024. “Those who could not attend last year, will join this anniversary celebration,” Roy said.

The Pavilion and the Yaganshala will serve as the focal points for these festivities, giving the public a rare opportunity to be a part of the ongoing celebrations.

The trust has already sent invitations to saints and devotees from across the country, with Roy urging residents and pilgrims to participate in the celebrations, visit at least one day during the three-day festival and experience the spiritual atmosphere of Ayodhya. Experience the

The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated. Ayodhya temple On January 22, 2024, a historic event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a move beyond grandiose temple construction to lay the foundation for a “strong, competent and divine” India for the next 1,000 years.

As the opening of the temple marked the end of a decades-long campaign, largely under the banner of Hindutva, to reclaim a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, Modi said it was the dawn of a new era.