PM to hoist saffron flag at Ram Mandir today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on Tuesday and hoist the traditional saffron flag on the temple.

The Prime Minister will first visit Sapt Mandir, which houses temples associated with Maharshi Vashishtha, Maharshi Vishwamitra, Maharshi Agastya, Maharshi Valmiki, Devi Ahilya, Nishadraj Guha and Mata Shabari. This will be followed by a visit to Sheshavtar Mandir.

He will then visit Mata Annapurna Mandir after which he will perform darshan and pooja at Ram Darbar Garbh Grah, which will be followed by darshan at Ram Lalla Garbha Grah.

At 12 noon, the Prime Minister will ceremonially hoist a saffron flag on the Shikhar of the sacred Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, symbolising the completion of the temple’s construction and signalling the government's commitment to "heritage and development". He will also address the gathering on this historic occasion.

The programme will coincide with Panchami of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Margashirsha, marking Lord Ram and Maa Sita’s Vivah Panchami, a day symbolising divine union. This date also marks the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who meditated in Ayodhya for 48 uninterrupted hours in the 17th century, further enhancing the spiritual significance of the day.

The right-angled triangular flag, measuring 10 feet in height and 20 feet in length, bears the image of a radiant sun symbolising the brilliance and valour of Lord Ram, with an ‘Om’ inscribed on it along with an image of Kovidara tree. The sacred saffron flag will convey a message of dignity, unity, and cultural continuity, embodying the ideals of Ram Rajya, a PMO statement said.

The flag will rise atop a temple summit constructed in the traditional North Indian Nagara architectural style, while the surrounding 800-metre Parkota, a circumambulatory enclosure built around the temple, designed in the South Indian architectural tradition, showcases the temple’s architectural diversity.

The temple complex features 87 intricately carved stone episodes from the life of Lord Ram based on the Valmiki Ramayana on the outer walls of the main temple, and 79 bronze-cast episodes from Indian culture placed along the enclosure walls.