Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday laid the foundation here of a Ram temple, the culmination of a campaign that fuelled the rise of the BJP and marked the fulfilment of one of its core poll promises.
Amid the chanting of shlokas, Modi consecrated the very first bricks for the temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.
The wait of centuries has ended, he said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony, made possible by a Supreme Court verdict last year that allowed the construction of the temple at the site where the Babri mosque was demolished by kar sevaks in 1992.
The day also coincided with the first anniversary of the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, scrapping the special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Modi described Ram as the common thread in India’s unity in diversity, and drew a parallel between the country’s independence movement and “centuries” of people’s struggle to build the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi.
He cited values associated with Ram and said, “We have to take care of everyone’s sentiments.” “We have to join stones for the construction of the Ram temple with mutual love, brotherhood,” he said. Modi started and ended his speech with chants of “Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai” and “Jai Siya Ram”. Lord Ram’s goddess wife Sita is also known as Siya. “We have to bring development to everyone with everyone’s trust and help. It should be kept in mind that progress has taken place when humanity believed in Ram but destruction has happened when we strayed from his path,” he added.
He told the gathering that a grand temple will now be built for “Ram Lalla”, the infant Ram, who had been living in a temporary tent for years. “Many people made sacrifices for the Ram temple. I pay my respects to all of them,” he said. Some Ram Janmabhoomi movement leaders, including former deputy prime minister L K Advani, were not at the venue where the organisers had invited only 175 people.
The guest list was short because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the invitees sat on chairs placed apart to maintain social distancing. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust head Nritya Gopal Das were on the dais along with the PM.
Sending out the message that “Ram is everywhere, Ram belongs to all”, Modi said the temple symbolises India’s rich heritage and will be an inspiration to all of humanity. He said the more powerful India gets, the more it will be loved and remain peaceful. “Social harmony was the core principle of Lord Ram’s governance,” the prime minister said. The construction of the Ram temple is an instrument to unite the country, he said, adding that it will lift the economy of the entire region.
He also released a postage stamp to commemorate the event. The ceremony marked Modi’s return to Ayodhya 28 years after he accompanied the then BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi on his “Tiranga Yatra”. He also played a role in Advani’s `rath yatra’ to mobilise support for building the temple in Ayodhya. RSS chief Mohan said the Sangh’s three-decade-old pledge was now being realised. “When we took the pledge, our then Sangh chief Balasahab Deoras had told us we would have to work hard continuously for 20-30 years and we did,” he said.
The groundbreaking was celebrated with smaller events elsewhere — from the blowing of a conch at a jewellery shop beyond the barricades in Ayodhya itself to more elaborate rituals in Delhi’s Chattarpur temple complex. Devotees started arriving there around 6 am, just after the morning puja ended, temple’s administrator Kishor Chawla said.
“A puja has been going on non-stop for three days. The ‘Ram darbar’ has been decorated. A replica of the ‘shila’ (foundation stone) has been prepared and it will be sent to Ayodhya along with other material,” he said. President Ram Nath Kovind said the foundation-laying ceremony defines India’s spirit of harmony. “Being built in tune with law, it defines India’s spirit of social harmony and people’s zeal. It will be a testimony to ideals of RamRajya and a symbol of modern India,” he tweeted. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values.
“Ram is love, he can never appear in hatred. Ram is compassion, he can never appear in cruelty. Ram is justice, he can never appear in injustice,” he said. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the prime minister’s participation at the bhoomi pujan went against the Constitution, and marked the victory of majoritariansim. “Today is a victory of Hindutva over secularism,” he said. Last November, the Supreme Court ruled that a Ram temple can be build at the site where the 16th century Babri mosque was demolished in December 1992. While allotting the Ram Janmabhoomi site for a temple to be built by a trust, it ordered that a five-acre plot should be found elsewhere in Ayodhya for a new mosque.