The idol of Ram Lalla will be installed in the newly constructed temple in Ayodhya on Makar Sankranti in January 2024, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has said.
The event will be held amidst a long celebration that will begin with Deepotsav on the eve of Diwali this year, said Champat Rai, general secretary of the Trust on Tuesday.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had set a deadline of December 31 for opening the Ram temple for devotees. But, according to the Trust, in December, there are no auspicious days for installation of the idol.
As per the Hindu calendar, rituals can only take place from Makar Sankranti when the Sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the Northern hemisphere, the Trust said.
"Makar Sankranti is the most auspicious day for installation of the Ram Lalla idol," said Champat Rai.
The Trust has always maintained that the construction work of Ram temple will be over by December 2023 and grand celebrations will start which will continue till Makar Sankranti in January 2024.
Earlier, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had sent an invitation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the grand opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Modi had presided over the "bhoomi pujan" of Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020.
At present, Ram Lalla is being worshipped in a prefabricated temple at Ram Janmabhoomi which was installed there before construction of the Ram temple began.
"A letter signed by Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das has been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inviting him for the 'pran pratishtha' (idol consecration) of Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram temple," said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, the designated successor of Mahant Nritya Gopal.
Nripendra Misra, chairman of Ram Mandir Construction Committee, will most likely hand over the letter to the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi.
Two drowned in Pune bridge collapse, PM Modi speaks to CM Fadnavis
At least two people were killed, 32 others injured, while a total of 41 people were rescued after they fell into an overflowing river when an old bridge they were crossing collapsed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday.
Haifa port in Israel operating normally despite Iran attack
There has been no damage to Israel’s Haifa port in the Iranian ballistic missile attack on an oil refinery nearby and cargo operations are progressing unhindered, according to media reports.
No recommendation, no discrimination: HM Amit Shah hails UP’s inclusive recruitment drive
In a historic ceremony, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed appointment letters to 60,244 newly selected police personnel at the Defence Expo Ground in Sector 18, Vrindavan. Out of these 60,000 recruits, more than 12,000 comprised women.
Round-the-clock DNA profiling underway: FSL Gandhinagar Director explains complex process
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has been operating around the clock to identify victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash through DNA profiling and matching.
Civil Aviation Ministry issues strict instructions to DGCA to enforce chopper safety
In the wake of a tragic helicopter crash in the Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday issued strict instructions to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce all safety protocols related to chopper operations in hilly and sensitive areas like the Kedarnath valley.
‘Harming Indians will invite punishment’, HM Shah on Op Sindoor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that through the anti-terror Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a strong message across the world that the bloodshed of Indians will invite punishment.
Dassault CEO trashes Pakistan's claims on downing Rafale jets
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has dismissed as "factually incorrect" Pakistan’s claims about having shot down three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor.
Tripura BJP stages protest over vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in B'desh
Ruling BJP in Tripura on Saturday staged state-wide protests along the Bangladesh border, protesting the recent attack and vandalism of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the neighbouring country.