Page 2 - Ayodhya Case

Govt offices to remain closed for half a day for Ram Temple consecration

All central government offices across the country will remain closed for half a day on January 22, due to the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, a Personnel Ministry order issued on Thursday said. The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the new idol of Ram Lalla at the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple is scheduled for Monday. The ceremony is set to be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on 22nd January 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 day till 1430 hours on 22nd January 2024," it said in the order issued to all central government ministries/ departments. When contacted, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told PTI that the decision has been taken in view of the "overwhelming" public ...

Ayodhya is matter of faith for us, who is BJP to invite?: Pramod Tiwari

On Sunday, Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, "Those who love Ram would definitely come after receiving the invitation"

ETO Motors bags order to deploy 500 EV 3-wheelers in UP, focus on Ayodhya

ETO Motors on Monday said it has bagged an order to deploy 500 electric three-wheelers in Uttar Pradesh, with special focus on Ayodhya. The Letter of Award (LoA) given by the Uttar Pradesh government has given the company the responsibility to deploy and manage the electric three-wheelers in Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Agra, Mathura, and Gorakhpur, ETO Motors said in a statement. Notably, ETO Motors has received authorisation to initiate the deployment with a special focus on Ayodhya, coinciding with the inauguration of the Ram Temple, it said. The strategic launch in Ayodhya aims to facilitate devotees visiting the sacred site, marking a beginning for the integration of electric mobility into cultural and religious events, the company said. "Our e-three-wheelers are not just vehicles but carriers of change, driving economic growth and social empowerment while upholding our commitment to environmental stewardship," ETO Motors Director Karthik S Ponnapula said. ETO Moto

Ram temple movement was a campaign to ensure justice with all: Gadkari

The Ayodhya movement was an awareness campaign not just for a temple but to ensure justice with all and appeasement of none, said Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday and stressed that the history of Hindutva is the history of our country. The senior BJP leader was addressing a gathering at a book launch in Nagpur. Gadkari said BJP stalwart L K Advani's Rath Yatra' brought the Ayodhya Ram temple cause to the forefront in the country. The Union minister said Ashok Singhal of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), senior BJP leader Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara, several sadhus and Shankaracharyas struggled for it. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was not just about a temple, said Gadkari. These efforts were to give back pride and respect to India's history, culture and heritage, he said. Gadkari said the presence of a Ram temple where Lord Ram was born is a symbol of pride and self-respect for all those living in the country. Hence, this issue was not communal or caste-related. It was rashtriya

Attempt to conduct Ram temple ceremony to hurt PM Modi: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attempt to personally conduct the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will prove costly given the disapproval of the four shankaracharyas who have refused to attend the ceremony, said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. The former Union minister said it is beginning to show who is the "real Hindu" -- one who knows the difference between 'Hinduism' and 'Hindutva'. "Modi's attempt at being personally present and personally conducting the religious ceremony has received such strong disapproval from the four accepted seers of the Hindu religion, who constitute what you may call the pontiffs of the Hindu religion, that it is all going to turn back on him. It will bite back," said Aiyar at the ongoing seventh edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) on Friday. Uttarakhand's Jyotir Mutt head Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has said that none of the four shankaracharyas will attend the event in Ayodhya as the consecration ceremony will take

Ayodhya Ram temple consecration should be done by Prez Murmu: Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday demanded that the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya be performed by President Droupadi Murmu as it is a matter of "national pride and country's self-respect". Addressing a press conference here, Thackeray said he will also invite Murmu to the Kalaram temple in Nashik, where he will pay a visit on January 22, the day of the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony. Thackeray had earlier announced that on January 22, he along with his party leaders and office-bearers will visit the historic Kalaram temple in Nashik and perform 'maha aarti' on the banks of the Godavari river. A day later (on January 23), the party will also hold a convention of party functionaries in Nashik, where Thackeray will address a rally. Thackeray said after the Somnath temple in Gujarat was restored, the formal restoration ceremony was held by the country's first president Dr Rajendra Prasad. "Since this (Ayodhya Ram temple) is a matter of ...

Ram Temple consecration: Liquor shops to remain shut in U'khand on Jan 22

The Uttarakhand government has announced that liquor shops across the state will be closed on January 22, to mark the "Pran Pratishtha" ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya

HP Cong chief Pratibha Singh praises PM Modi for Ram temple construction

A couple of days after the Congress high command decided not to attend the consecration event at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party's Himachal Pradesh unit chief Pratibha Singh commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative of constructing the temple. In a video which surfaced on X, Singh is heard saying, "The initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to construct the Ram Temple is really commendable." She also said that her late husband and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh had immense faith in gods and renovated several temples in the state. Later, talking to the PTI on Friday evening, the Himachal Pradesh Congress chief said she and her son Vikramaditya Singh have received a joint invitation and she is yet to take a call on attending the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22. In the video, she said that Hindus constitute 98 per cent of the total population of Himachal Pradesh and added that "we all have faith in Lord Ram and we want our religion

Ram Janmabhoomi soil to be gifted to invitees of consecration ceremony

The soil of Ram Janmabhoomi that was taken out during the digging of the foundation will be packed in boxes and presented to the guests attending the consecration ceremony on January 22, the temple trust said on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be here for the event will be presented with a 15-metre picture of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya packed in a jute bag that also carries the photograph of the temple, a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Theerth Kshetra Trust said. The trust member said arrangements are being made to present memorable gifts to more than 11,000 guests and invitees to the consecration ceremony. Apart from the soil of Ram Janmabhoomi, the guests will be presented 100 grams of special Motichoor laddoos made with desi ghee as prasad, he added. The trust member said that the gifts to the invitees would comprise two boxes, one containing motichoor laddoos as prasad and a sacred tulsi leaf, while the other would contain soil that was recovered during the digging

Hindu seers pray for PM Modi's successful completion of 11-day 'anushthan'

PM Modi himself announced on Friday that he will commence a special 11-day 'anushthan' (ritual) ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram Temple

Ram Temple consecration: PM Modi begins religious exercise for 11 days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday began a special 11-day religious exercise ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. In a message, he said it is his good fortune that he will be a witness to this auspicious occasion. He said God has chosen him as an instrument to represent all Indians during the 'Pran Pratishtha' exercise and that he is undertaking the special religious exercise keeping this in mind. "I seek blessing from people," he said on X. The prime minister posted an audio message, noting that it is difficult to articulate one's sentiments at this time but he is making an attempt. "I am emotional. First time in life, I am experiencing such feelings," he said. Officials said Modi will be following the arduous guidelines detailed in scriptures related to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.

Those who created hurdles shouldn't be invited to Ram Temple: Brij Bhusan

BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has voiced opposition to inviting the leaders of opposition parties who "created obstacles" in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya for its consecration ceremony scheduled for January 22. Talking to reporters, Singh also dismissed the speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Ayodhya. "The opposition, which created hurdles in the construction of the temple at every step, should not be invited to Ayodhya at all," he told reporters on the sidelines of a programme at Rasauli in the Safdarganj area of this Uttar Pradesh district on Tuesday evening. "These (opposition leaders) are the same people who, while targeting the BJP, used to say 'Ramlala, hum ayenge, mandir wahin banayenge lekin tarikh nahi batayenge (we will come, we will build the temple there but will not reveal the date)," the MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh said. According to reports, invitations for the Ram temple consecratio

Ram Mandir 'gives Hindus a reason to celebrate': NYC Mayor Eric Adams

When asked about the opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and what it meant to the Hindus of New York City, Adams said that the opening is 'extremely important'

LIVE: Aditya-L1 is at the right place, says Isro chief S Somanath

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Will take decision on Ram Temple consecration invite 'very soon': Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said he will "very soon" take a decision on whether he will attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi have been invited for the event and the Congress had earlier said that their decision would be conveyed at the "right time". Besides them, Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has also been invited for the ceremony. "I have got the invitation. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's former principal secretary had come along with the secretary of the (temple) trust, they have invited me. I will decide on it very soon," Kharge said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here when asked about the invite sent to him for the ceremony. Being pressed about a Congress chief minister's remarks on the Ram Temple consecration ceremony invite, Kharge said, "It is about 'personal astha'... If there is an invite, you can go, anyone else can go." The ...

Govt determined to connect holy city of Ayodhya with world: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the Union Cabinet's approval to the proposal to name Ayodhya airport as 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham', asserting that his government is determined to connect the holy city of Lord Ram with the whole world. He said the move was a tribute to Maharishi Valmiki. At a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the proposal to name Ayodhya airport as 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham', was approved. Besides, it was also decided to declare the airport as an international airport. In a post on X, Modi said, "Our government is determined to connect the holy city of Lord Shri Ram, Ayodhya, with the whole world. In this regard, along with declaring the airport as an international airport, the proposal to name it 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham' has been approved." "This step is a respectful tribute to Maharishi Valmiki ji on behalf of our family members across the country," t

Ram Temple consecration: 7000 bamboo pieces sent to Ayodhya from Assam

A container truck filled with bamboo pieces collected from the Lampi area near Boko to Ayodhya was dispatched on Thursday night

NCP's Awhad sparks row, says 'Ram belongs to Bahujans, was non-vegetarian'

This comes a day after BJP MLA Ram Kadam urged the Maharashtra government for a one-day ban on alcohol and meat on the Ayodhya consecration ceremony day on January 22

Ayodhya & India's new tryst with destiny

UP's economic rise will be, in part, driven by religious tourism, and that is a welcome development

Ayodhya all set for PM Narendra Modi's visit, heavy security in place

Ayodhya is all geared up for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on December 30, with the city being decked up with flowers, murals and thematic ornamental columns amid heavy security deployment in the temple town. Divisional Commissioner of Ayodhya, Gaurav Dayal said preparations are in full swing for the visit and despite dense fog in the city in the last two days, all arrangements are on course. Modi will visit the town on Saturday to inaugurate the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station and a new airport. He will also address a public rally near the airport. "The prime minister is expected to reach Ayodhya airport somewhere around 10:45 am. After landing at the airport, he will move straight to Ayodhya railway station where he will inaugurate the redeveloped railway station. He will then return to the airport, inaugurate the newly-built airport and subsequently address a 'jan sabha' (public rally)," Dayal told PTI. About 1.5 lakh people are expected to assemble for the rally that