The consecration ceremony or pran-pratishtha of 'Ram Lalla' in the newly built Ayodhya Ram Mandir took place on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the rituals along with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. The Ram Mandir Ayodhya opening ceremony was attended by several big wigs including Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar. The consecration ceremony was held after the first phase of the temple’s construction, made possible by a Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit. The Hindu litigants argued that the Babri Mosque was constructed at the site of a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram. In 1992, the 16th-century mosque was demolished by 'Karsevaks'. Following the consecration, the shrine was opened to the public a day later. Festivities in Ayodhya are taking place with full vigour a month after the mega consecration ceremony, with lakhs of devotees reaching the holy city to have darshan of Lord Ram's idol in the newly constructed temple. According to the officials of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, more than 25 lakh devotees visited the temple in the first 10 days after the consecration ceremony.
