Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, industrialist Anil Ambani and other dignitaries at the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony.
Photo Credit: PTI
New Delhi: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were some of the prominent Indian cinema personalities who attended the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on Monday.
Actor couple Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, filmmakers Rohit Shetty, Rajkumar Hirani, actors Ayushmann Khurrana, Madhuri Dixit Nene along with her husband Sriram Nene and producer Mahaveer Jain also made an appearance as part of the contingent from the Indian film industry at the ceremony.
Amitabh Bachchan left for Ayodhya from Mumbai on Monday along with his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan. At the temple premises, the screen icon was spotted interacting with Arun Govil, the actor who became a household name with the portrayal of Lord Ram in the 1987 TV serial "Ramayan". The Bachchans also met BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and industrialist Anil Ambani at the venue.
Earlier in the day, Chiranjeevi was photographed disembarking from a chartered plane at the Ayodhya airport. He was accompanied by his wife Surekha and son, "RRR" star Ram Charan.
Actor Kangana Ranaut, who reached Ayodhya on Saturday, previously hailed the ceremony as a "divine experience".
After the completion of the rituals, several personalities including Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, actor Ajay Devgn, and singer Shreya Ghoshal extended their wishes on social media.
"Can't believe I'm lucky enough to witness something as historic & auspicious as #RamMandirPranPrathistha in my lifetime. Proud to see how our entire nation has united to welcome our Ram Lalla back home in Ayodhya!" Devgn said on X.
"May the inauguration of the Ram Mandir bring peace, harmony, and spiritual enlightenment to all. Wishing everyone a joyous and fulfilling darshan at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir," Khan wrote on the microblogging site.
"Jai Shree Ram. My eyes are filled with tears of joy to see the divine face of Ram Lalla," Ghoshal captioned her video of watching the ceremony live on TV.
Actor Deepika Padukone shared a photograph of a lamp on her Instagram Stories.
Ranaut shared a video of the Army helicopters' flower shower over the temple as she screamed 'Jai Shri Ram!'. "Ram aa gaye," she captioned her post.
In an Instagram post, singer Hariharan said taking part in the ceremony is a "truly humbling experience".
"Standing before the majestic Ram Mandir, embraced by a sense of peace and devotion... Gratitude for this blessed moment," he wrote.
Several names from the Malayalam film industry such as Parvathy Thiruvothu, Ashiq Abu, Jeo Baby, Kani Kusruthi, Rima Kallingal and Divya Prabha shared an image of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution on social media, a move which many dubbed as a method of novel protest.
Smriti Kiran, artistic director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and "Faraaz" actor Kunal Kapoor were also among the names from the Hindi film industry who shared the Preamble on Instagram.
Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, best known for "Ram Ke Naam" which explored the campaign waged to build a Ram temple at the site of the Babri mosque and the violence that it triggered, shared a post on Facebook in an apparent swipe at the consecration ceremony.
"Murkhon ka baazaar kabse bana mera desh? (Since when did my country become a market of fools?" Patwardhan wrote in Hindi against a saffron background.
On Instagram, "Kantara" actor Kishore G shared a quote which he attributed to social reformer Basavanna alluding to the construction of the Ram temple. His co-star Rishab Shetty from the 2022 Kannada hit took part in the ceremony along with his wife Pragathi.
"Those that have wealth build temples, What can I, a poor man build, Here, my feet are the pillars, My body The sanctum sanctorum, My head shining dome of the temple, My God Koodalasangama knows very well.. That which is stationary will perish, and that which moves and is dynamic, stays on forever," his post read.
Hema Malini, Rajinikanth, Pawan Kalyan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Shefali Shah, Vipul Shah, Randeep Hooda, Lin Laishram, Aadinath Mangeshkar, Anu Malik and Sonu Nigam arrived in the temple town on Sunday.
Actors Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, who are currently shooting for their upcoming film "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan", had wished fans ahead of the ceremony through a video message on social media.
"It's a big day for all devotees of Lord Ram across the world. After a wait of hundreds of years Ram Lalla is returning to his abode in a grand temple in Ayodhya. We wish you and your family on this pious day," Akshay said in the clip.
Tiger Shroff said watching this day become a reality is a big deal. His father, actor Jackie Shroff, attended the 'pran prathishtha' today.
Anupam Kher, who reached Ayodhya on Sunday, said regardless of religion, the country has come together today.
"Lord Ram symbolises goodness and the feeling of sacrifice. These values are now visible here (in Ayodhya). We can witness that goodness here. Jai Shri Ram!" Kher told reporters.
Actor Dipika Chikhlia said it is a day of immense happiness for everyone.
"The temple is beautifully decorated. We can say today's Diwali because Lord Ram has arrived here after 500 years. The arrangements by the government are perfect.
"Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown this day to us," said the actor, who played Goddess Sita in "Ramayan".
Singers Sonu Nigam, Anuradha Paudwal, Kavita Paudwal and Shankar Mahadevan were among 30 artists who sang devotional songs at the temple premises in the run-up to the ceremony.