Ram Lalla returns to abode; dawn of a new era: PM Narendra Modi

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, January 22

Festive fervour gripped the nation on Monday as PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, capping centuries of struggle and hailing the moment as the marker of a new era that will witness the rise of glorious India rooted in harmony and universal brotherhood.

Giving voice to the emotions of millions, who sang prayers and lit diyas to mark Ram Lalla’s return to his abode, the PM saluted the memory of Ram Janmabhoomi movement participants, but qualified his remarks saying: “This day is as much about humility as victory”.

Before addressing an assembly of over 7,000 guests featuring saints from 150 traditions, actors, corporate leaders and sports stars, the PM walked towards the temple with a silver “chhatra” and offerings for the deity. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, he recited Vedic verses behind head priest Sunil Shastri, inviting the deity to reside in the newly sculpted 51-inch-tall black stone idol.

The tide of time is turning. We have the good fortune to sculpt a new path for the rise of a magnificent nation. Today on, let’s pledge to lay India’s foundations for the next 1,000 years. — Narendra Modi, PM

Soon as the 84-second consecration ritual concluded, Lord Rama revealed himself to the world amid soulful chanting and showering of petals. The sight prompted a sea of emotions with several guests seen breaking into tears of joy.

Capturing the sentiment later in his speech, the PM said the Lord had finally come home after centuries of wait and sacrifices. “Our Ram Lalla will no longer have to stay in a tent. He will now reside in this divine temple. This sense of elation on the Lord’s homecoming has united His worshippers worldwide,” Modi said as celebrations erupted across India and abroad.

Addressing the invitees, the PM said January 22 would be etched in history as the “marker of a new era” and a “symbol of Indian society’s patience, harmony and resilience”.

In hour-long remarks, Modi rued the loss of time in legal battles over the ownership of the site where Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya.

“Lord Rama’s image adorns the first copy of the Indian Constitution. Yet, even after the adoption of the Constitution, legal battles had to be waged to prove His existence. I thank the judiciary for saving the dignity of justice,” Modi said, referring to the 2019 Supreme Court judgment that handed over the possession of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya to Hindu petitioners, enabling the construction of the Ram Temple.

The PM also launched veiled attacks on the Opposition for fearmongering that the temple construction would stoke fires of disharmony. “Today, we can see that the Ram Temple is not a source of unrest but of energy. Lord Rama is not a dispute; He is the solution… the foundation, the essence, the very soul of India,” Modi said in an emotional appeal to people on the eve of the General Election.

The PM also took the occasion to stress “equality and oneness of all” as he said, “The tide of time is turning. We have the good fortune to sculpt a new path for the rise of a magnificent nation. From today on, let’s pledge to lay India’s foundations for the next 1,000 years. Ram Temple construction is an occasion to expand our thoughts beyond ourselves — ‘Dev se desh aur Ram se rashtra ki chetna ka vistaar’ — and to live by the ideal that everyone is ours and everyone is equal.”

This day will be discussed even after 1,000 years, the PM said, promising to the people a “far brighter future than their past.” Moments after returning from Ayodhya, Modi announced a new scheme — the Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana — to install rooftop solar panels in one crore poor households to cut their power bills.

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