Ram Mandir: Inauguration, Cultural Significance

Politics: eyes on Ayodhya as PM Modi visits weeks before Ram Mandir inauguration

1. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath checks preparations in Ayodhya ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit today. (Photo: PTI)

Modi will inaugurate the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station and then flag off two new Amrit Bharat trains and six new Vande Bharat trains at 11.15 am. At around 12.15 PM, the PM will inaugurate the newly built Ayodhya airport, named the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport. At 1 pm, the PM is scheduled to address a public meeting and then inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of infrastructure projects. To enhance accessibility to the temple, Modi will inaugurate four newly redeveloped roads — Rampath, Bhaktipath, Dharampath, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path.

The PM’s visit will set the tone for the run-up to the consecration ceremony of the temple idol on January 22. The Sangh Parivar has mobilised for the event and is taking its outreach initiatives across India and some other countries.

In context: The consecration of the idol of Ram Lalla will mark the end of one of the BJP’s important ideological projects. Three decades ago, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement led by L K Advani, which led to the demolition of Babri Masjid, set in motion a chain of events that propelled the party from the margins of electoral politics to the centre of national politics. It transformed the BJP into the principal challenger of the Congress.

The Temple is not just about clinching an ideological issue,” a BJP leader told Vikas Pathak earlier this week. “It is also about telling people that the BJP delivers what it promises, unlike other parties. Be it giving free foodgrains to 81 crore people, ensuring Covid vaccination, or be it the Ram Temple finally becoming a reality or Article 370 becoming a thing of the past, multiple things add up in the minds of voters as ‘Modi’s guarantees’, which will always get fulfilled. This is the message that the party is delivering to voters everywhere.”

Three sculptures in contest for selection as Ram Lalla idol ready

Champat Rai, secretary of the trust, said the idol which reflects the divinity of the five-year-old Ram Lalla would be chosen to be placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple

How to Reach Ayodhya Ram Mandir

Ayodhya International Airport, officially known as Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport, is an upcoming international airport designed to serve the cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. This airport is approx 8.5 km from Faizabad, Situated adjacent to NH-27 and NH-330 at Naka, in the Ayodhya district, the airport's name was changed to honor Lord Shri Rama in 2021. the airport is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2023. Flight operations are expected to commence from January 10, 2024. Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, which is approximately 135 km from Ayodhya can also be a good option, one can hire a taxi or take a bus to Ayodhya.