Old pain healing, says PM as Ram Temple work ends

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Ayodhya had reached a historic moment as the Ram Temple project had been officially completed, and that the “wounds and pain” carried for centuries were beginning to heal with the fulfilment of a 500-year-old resolve.

Modi made the remarks after hoisting a saffron flag atop the shrine, a ceremony attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He described the occasion as an epoch-making milestone for Ayodhya, saying the entire nation and even the wider world were “immersed in the spirit of Lord Ram”.

The PM said the flag would stand as a reminder that truth ultimately prevails, and expressed appreciation to devotees and all those involved in bringing the temple to completion. He said Lord Ram symbolised equality and fairness, and that the country must move forward with the same inclusive spirit.

Modi said the country should aim to become a fully developed nation by 2047, which would mark the centenary of Independence. To achieve that goal, he urged people to “awaken the Lord Ram within”, stressing the importance of national character, collective effort and confidence. He called for pride in India’s civilisational legacy and asked citizens to discard what he described as lingering traces of a colonial mindset. Long after Independence, he said, Macaulay’s influence continued to shape attitudes, and shedding these inherited notions was necessary for progress.

Rejecting claims that Indian democracy was inspired from outside, Modi asserted that the country was the birthplace of democratic traditions and that these values were part of its inherent character.

Officials said the hoisting of the saffron flag marked the formal completion of the temple complex, nearly six years after the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict that granted the entire 2.77-acre disputed site for the Ram Mandir. The flag, measuring 22 by 11 feet, is made of parachute-grade cloth, stitched with a heavy-duty nylon rope and placed atop a 161-foot spire. It features symbols of the Sun, representing Lord Ram’s Surya Vansh lineage, along with Om and the Kovidara tree. Temple authorities said the idol of Ram Lalla is housed in the Garbhagriha on the ground floor, reached by climbing 32 steps from the Singh Dwar on the eastern side.