Bus services have been suspended between Lucknow and Ayodhya in view of a massive rush in the temple town after a star-studded 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony threw open the Ram mandir's doors to the public. No buses will run on the route until the situation normalises, authorities said.
Around 5 lakh devotees braved the harsh winters to turn up at the temple yesterday. Only 3 lakh of them could offer prayers while the rest kept waiting for their turn, according to officials.
Visuals from Ayodhya this morning showed a large number of devotees gathered outside the temple. Over a lakh visitors are expected at the temple every day, in view of which heavy security has been deployed in the city.
Around 8,000 security personnel from the Uttar Pradesh police, Rapid Action Force (RAF), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) are deployed at the temple. Eight magistrates are in charge of different spots in the temple.
Praveen Kumar, Inspector-General of Police Ayodhya, has urged people not to hurry and schedule their visit after two weeks.
"The crowd is nonstop but preparations are complete. We appeal to the old and Divyang people to schedule their visit after two weeks. I want to appeal to the people that there's no need to hurry for Darshan. The temple will be opened for everyone with better preparations," he told news agency ANI.
