Devotees in Ahmedabad watch a live screening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding prayers to Lord Ram after the opening of the temple in the northern town of Ayodhya, 22 January 2024. Reuters

The consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was held on Monday (22 January) with much zeal. The idol of Ram Lalla, created by Mysore sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was unveiled as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ‘Pran Pratishtha’.

Addressing those invited to the grand ceremony, including saints, entrepreneurs, celebrities and sportspeople, the PM said this was an emotional occasion for him as Lord Ram had finally arrived in Ayodhya after years of wait. “Ram Lalla will no longer reside in a tent as this great temple has been consecrated for him,” he said.

There has been a visible buzz around the Ram Mandir for months before the inauguration. The role of social media influencers in fanning and sustaining that interest cannot be ignored.

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Let’s take a closer look.

Influencer’s yatra to Ayodhya

Social media influencers have played a big role in creating buzz around the consecration ceremony and endorsing Ayodhya as a tourism destination.

From reels to vlogs, these content creators have taken the religious ceremony to everyone’s homes, offering them the experience of online pilgrimage. Some of the influencers were hired by the Uttar Pradesh government in December to promote the development of Ayodhya and the construction of the Ram temple.

As per The Hindu report, the state government earmarked a budget of Rs 25 lakh for its Tourism and Culture department to engage social media influencers and other mediums to reach out to people.

On 14 January, about 500 influencers set upon a 4,500-km yatra, tracing what is believed to be the route taken by Lord Ram to return to Ayodhya from Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram after his 14-year exile. Organised by Ram Mahotsav Yatra Samiti formed by the All India Influencers Association, it was promoted by several leaders linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The journey will be documented over the next three months, as per ThePrint.

Other influencers are also travelling to Ayodhya, recording their journey and posting religious content on their accounts.

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Reels, vlogs and more

Some of the Instagram Reels by these content creators depict the behind-the-scenes footage of the construction of the Ram temple. Many talk about the religious significance of the mandir.

Peppered with songs about the Hindu deity Lord Ram, several videos have thousands of views and likes.

A reel on Instagram that features two men hanging out on a terrace and one strangling the other for not knowing what is on 22 January has over one lakh views, as per ThePrint.

Travel vloggers are filming their journey to the temple town. Keerthika Govindhasamy, a 27-year-old creator from Delhi with 506,000 Instagram followers, told Economic Times (ET) earlier, “I’m planning to do at least two reels and one detailed vlog covering the event and the entire inauguration”.

These influencers are keeping their audiences engaged by using catchy and popular songs.  As per ET, playback singer Jubin Nautiyal’s Mere Ghar Ram Aaye Hain has been used in over 2.7 million reels so far. Ram Aayenge is another trending audio on Instagram, used in millions of reels and photos.

The hashtag Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha has been trending on X for weeks. From AI-generated images of gods to devotional songs, Instagram is flooded with posts related to Ram temple inauguration.

Speaking to The Quint, Amit Rao, a D-Pharma student, said he wants to spread the tenets of sanatan dharma and the history of Ram Mandir among the younger generation. “I want people to know about Ayodhya, Lord Ram, and the sanatan dharma — especially the youngsters who are unaware in a more engaging and lucid manner”.

Rao, who relocated to Ayodhya in 2021, said he started making devotional content after his video on “deepotsav got good response”.

An Instagram account named ‘Ayodhyawale’ has been documenting the activities related to the Ayodhya shrine since the foundation stone of the Ram Mandir was laid on 5 August 2020. “We’re adding lakhs of followers to our family everyday. It’s mostly because of the buzz around the consecration. Like many other professions, our work is also seasonal in a way. We get more followers around important events such as deepotsav or like the one happening now,” Harshavardhan Patel, who runs the account, told The Quint.

Some of the content is educational and devotional. There is also provocative content being posted by some of these influencers related to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Besides these content creators, the original influencers – Bollywood celebrities – have also helped in creating a clamour around the temple inauguration. Many big names, including Amitabh Bachchan, Chiranjeevi, Madhuri Dixit and Alia Bhatt, also marked their presence at the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on Monday.

With inputs from agencies