News Brief
Kuldeep Negi
Jan 18, 2024, 03:11 PM | Updated 04:15 PM IST
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The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday (18 January) announced a ban on the sale of meat and fish in the state on 22 January, the day the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will take place, Hindustan Times reported.
The Yogi government has already banned the sale of liquor for the day.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be held on 22 January and the preparations for the event are in the full swing.
The week-long religious rituals for the ceremony started on 16 January, commencing with the atonement ceremony conducted by the host appointed by the temple trust, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the Ayodhya temple event on 22 January.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will also share the dais with several other dignitaries.
More than 7,000 people have been invited to the ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
The murti of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, has been selected for installation.
Earlier on Wednesday (17 January), the murti of Ram Lalla, which will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum, reached the Ayodhya Ram temple on late Wednesday (18 January) evening.
The murti was lifted using a crane to place it in the sanctum sanctorum where it will be installed ahead of 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony.
Carved in black stone by Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj, the murti weighs around 150-200 kg. It was lifted by a crane from the truck that reached the temple along with a procession in the evening.
The procession also stopped briefly at the Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya in a symbolic halt.
A special puja was held in the sanctum sanctorum before the idol was brought inside.
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Kuldeep is Senior Editor (Newsroom) at Swarajya. He tweets at @kaydnegi.