Ram mandir 'Pran Prathishta' today - 10 things to know

The temple town of Ayodhya is all set to welcome Lord Ram with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to participate in the consecration ceremony at the newly constructed Ram Mandir today.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- will be attended by people from all walks of life, including representatives of major spiritual and religious sects of the country, representatives of various tribal communities and prominent personalities.

Here are the top ten things you need to know about the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony:

1. The ceremony will begin at 12.20 pm, and according to the temple's trust, it is expected to end by 1 pm. Following this, the Prime Minister will address the gathering.

2. PM Modi will also visit the Kuber Tila, where an ancient Shiv temple has been restored and also perform 'pooja' and 'darshan' at the restored temple.

3. According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Ram Lalla idol was bathed on Sunday with 114 pitchers filled with 'aushadhiyukt' (medicated) water and sacred water brought from various pilgrimage sites.

4. The consecration rituals for the 'Pran Pratishtha' started from the Saryu river on January 16 and will be completed today afternoon in the 'Abhijeet Muhurta', according to the trust.

5. Fourteen couples from various parts of India will be the 'yajmaans' (hosts) for the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the new 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla.

6. A multi-layer security cover is in place in Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony, with 10,000 CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence keeping an eye on the movement of people and police personnel in plain clothes deployed at the venue.

7. While more than 7,000 people are on the list of invitees for the event, the select list features 506 A-listers. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar are among the prominent people invited to the event. Those attending the 'Pran Prathishtha' also include people linked to the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Almost all Opposition leaders invited to the ceremony have declined to be in attendance, with the Congress calling it a 'BJP-RSS event'.

8. The consecration ceremony will be telecasted live on LED screens at 283 places in Ayodhya, as per VHP members.

9. A 51-inch Ram Lalla idol was placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple last week. Three idols of Lord Ram were built from which the one sculpted by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj has been selected for 'Pran Prathistha'.

10. The old idol of Ram Lalla, kept in a makeshift shrine, will be placed in front of the new idol which will be consecrated at the temple here on January 22, said Govind Dev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

(With PTI inputs)