The idol of Ram Lalla was installed in the ‘Garbha Griha’ or sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya at 1.28 pm Thursday. Image Courtesy: X/@ANINewsUP

The idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Karnataka-based artist Arun Yogiraj, was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the grand temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya on Thursday (18 January) afternoon amid chanting of Vedic hymns. This comes ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram Mandir on 22 January.

The first images of the newly built idol of Ram Lalla showed the face of the deity covered with a veil. The idol was brought inside the temple on Wednesday night with the help of a crane.

Let’s take a closer look at how the Ram Lalla idol was installed inside the Ram temple.

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Ram Lalla idol placed in sanctum sanctorum

The Ram Lalla idol was installed in the ‘Garbha Griha’ or sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple at 1.28 pm Thursday. The members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust including Anil Mishra, Champat Rai and Swami Govind Giri were present during the placement ceremony, as per Indian Express.

”Ram Lalla will now sit on his asana (seat),” a priest associated with the rituals in Ayodhya told Deccan Herald.

According to the news agency ANI, Vedic Brahmins and revered acharyas led the worship ceremonies inside the temple premises.

Due to the idol weighing between 150-200 kg and limited space inside the sanctum sanctorum, the installation was carried out under the supervision of a team of engineers, an eyewitness told Indian Express.

Before placing the idol, it was reportedly washed with water brought from several sacred rivers across the country as part of the “Jaladhivas” ritual. “Under Jaladhivas, the idol is, ideally, submerged in water from the river, but given the size of this idol, a water kalash (urn) is kept at the feet of the idol and a cloth soaked in water is draped over it,” one of the priests performing the rituals was quoted as saying by the English daily.

Then, the idol was covered with a special paste made of Chandan and Kesar as part of “Gandhadhivas” ritual.

Other rituals were also performed along with Ganesh Pujan as the idol was taken to the sanctum sanctorum, reported Deccan Herald.

Speaking to the news agency PTI, Arun Dixit, a priest associated with the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, said ‘pradhan sankalp‘ was performed by Anil Mishra, a member of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is tasked with the construction and management of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

“The idea behind the ‘pradhan sankalp‘ is that the ‘pratishtha‘ of Lord Ram is being done for the welfare of all, for the welfare of the nation, for the welfare of humanity, and also for those who contributed to this work,” he added.

The idol of Ram Lalla was brought inside the Ram temple on Wednesday night before which a special puja was held in the sanctum sanatorum. It was carried to the temple in a truck.

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What to know about Ram Lalla idol

The idol of Lord Ram is 51 inches tall and carved out of black stone. It captures the Hindu deity as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus. Due to the halo and lotus, the idol weighs about 150 kg, as per Times of India (TOI).

Meanwhile, the old idols of Ram Lalla and his three brothers, which have been worshipped for decades, are currently kept at the makeshift temple inside the premises. They would be placed in front of the new idol inside the sanctum sanctorum on 22 January, the general secretary of temple trust said. “The worship of the present idol of Lord Ram has been going on since 1950 and it will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the original temple along with the new idol.

The worshipping of the (original) idol will continue even after 22 January in the same manner as it has been done so far,” Rai was quoted as saying by TOI. 

As per Indian Express, rituals have started on the old idol of the Hindu deity as well, which is being called “Rajat” or “Utsav” idol.

More rituals before 22 January

Several rituals are being conducted in the run-up to the 22 January consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

A hawan will be held today at a mandap set up about 100 metres from the Ram temple and will continue until 22 January. “Fire from this will be used to light the ‘nine kundas’ in the nine corners of the temple that will be lit 24X7,” Dixit told Indian Express.

The rituals will continue till 21 January, while only essential rituals will be held on the day of the consecration ceremony, as per Ram temple trust officials.

Thousands of guests, including politicians, actors and sportspersons, have been invited to the main event on Monday.

A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony. PM Modi will be the main “yajman” at the Pran Pratistha, priest Dixit told PTI.

With inputs from agencies