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On The Way To The Ram Mandir...

Last updated on: January 22, 2024 19:07 IST

Saisuresh Sivaswamy/Rediff.com captures glimpses of the activity around the Ram temple on his iPhone 14 Pro.

 

IMAGE: Spotted on Dharmpath outside the Ram Vastra Sangahalaya. Rattan Ranjan from Delhi says he left Delhi on January 7th and reached Ayodhya on the 18th for the pran pratishtha.

 

IMAGE: Consecration done, police bandobast winds down in Ayodhya Dham.

 

IMAGE: To the Ram temple at 6 pm, and tens of journalists have gathered on Dharmpath waiting for transport to take them to the temple.
Almost an hour later, there is no sign of any transport or anyone from PIB shedding any light on the visit.
So the journalists wait on the road, in a a high security zone!

 

IMAGE: A traffic jam of VIPs heading to the Ram temple on Rampath, Ayodhya, on Monday morning.

 

IMAGE: As VIPs stream in at the temple gate the first casualty is the media which gets pushed back. We almost managed to squeeze in to the temple but for an alert security guard who made out our passes were not VIP, but media.

 

IMAGE: Kadi nazar (strict surveillance) being kept from the rooftop on Rampath.

 

IMAGE: Ayodhya awaits Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival at the temple.

 

IMAGE: People wait to catch a glimpse of Modiji.

 

IMAGE: A song and dance to ease the wait.

 

IMAGE: Another performance on Rampath to engage the crowds.

 

IMAGE: Look who's come for the pran pratishtha.

 

IMAGE: Getting a bird's eye view of the goings-on at Rampath.

 

IMAGE: Kevlar vests on the standby.

 

IMAGE: Shops start opening slowly on Rampath. We managed to find a bhojnalaya open for a quick breakfast of Alu Parathas.

 

IMAGE: An eatery doing brisk business on Rampath.

 

IMAGE: Time for quick pravachan on Rampath.

 

IMAGE: Another performance at Rampath.

 

IMAGE: A sprinkler tanker with a smog gun winds its way down Rampath, in case you are wondering how the dust level is being kept down.

 

IMAGE: The beat is on.

 

IMAGE: The road from Dharmpath to Rampath.

 

IMAGE: Scene at the media centre in Ayodhya. It's standing room only, no terminals can be had for love or money.
The media centre erupted in joy, with applause and cries of 'Jai Shri Ram' as the Ram idol was first shown on TV.

 

SAISURESH SIVASWAMY