Modi likens rise of Ram temple to beginning of a new era  

After performing ‘pran pratishtha’ of the newly installed idol of a five-year-old Ram Lalla in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram temple, Prime Minister Modi invoked the universality of the spirit of Ram even as he called for humility while celebrating the historic event. A report by Mudit Mathur

On January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed the role of Mukhya Yajmaan (key performer) of religious rituals in Ayodhya along with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram temple where magnificent ‘pran pratishtha’ or consecration of the newly installed idol of a five-year-old Ram Lalla wss done amid chanting of vedic hymns in “Abhijeet Muhurta”, which according to Vedic astrology is considered to be most auspicious period for securing victory. Modi said it was the beginning of a new era for the country, an era that will last for centuries and called for humility while celebrating the historic day. He invoked the universality of the spirit of Ram that defines inclusiveness of humanity. After the religious rituals, Modi broke his 11­-day fast that was part of his spiritual preparation for the rituals. He accepted Ram Lalla’s “Panchamrit” (five main ingredients, Yogurt (Dahi), Milk, Honey, Tulsi (basil), and Ghee from Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the temple trust. Modi made it a point to tell the nation that he had been at the Ram Setu a day earlier. He also recalled how Ram, too, had begun his return journey from Lanka to Ayodhya from that very spot, after defeating Ravana. He also added that he was here not without observing an 11-day fast, during which he offered prayers at select temples in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as pilgrim sites which had been associated with Lord Ram. While visiting temples in the south, he connected with the people of the south, where his party has a dismal presence politically. In his new avtar of a Hindu prime minister, Modi in his long address pitched that Ram was not just as a deity but as an icon of governance. He emotively asserted that Ram represented the “prestige of India”, “nation-building”, and the “solution, not controversy.” He talked passionately about moving from “Dev” to “Desh” and “Ram to Rashtra” for India’s resurrection. Terming it a historic day, Modi said that it was akin to a “nation uprising by breaking the mentality of slavery, drawing courage from every disorder of the past and creating a new history”.