Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday celebrated the consecration of the new idol of Ram Lalla at the Ayodhya temple by playing 'dhol' along with his party workers in Thane.
The idol was consecrated at the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya city on Monday, an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across the country.
Fifty traditional musical instruments from across the country were part of a devotional "Mangal Dhwani" that resonated during the consecration ceremony. After the ceremony in Ayodhya, Mr Shinde and his party workers assembled at an open space near the Kopineshwar temple in Mumbai's neighbouring Thane city, the political turf of the chief minister, where he played the 'dhol' to celebrate the occasion.
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Shinde said a 500-year-old dream to have a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya has finally come true. "It was the dream of Balasaheb Thackeray and millions of Ram devotees. During karseva, Anand Dighe (his mentor) led us and he even donated a silver brick for the construction of the temple. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith and prayers and not politics," the Chief Minister said.
He said some opposition parties used to taunt that "mandir wahi banayenge par tareekh nahi batayenge" (we will build the temple there but will not reveal the date) but Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the date and the temple is now open for devotees.
"Today's day must be written in gold. When Lord Ram went on exile, he first came to Nashik. The teak used in the temple is from Maharashtra," he added.
He will also participate in a 'shobha yatra' in the evening from Shivaji Park in Dadar to Bhoiwada Ram Mandir in the Lower Parel area of Mumbai, a distance of nearly five kilometres.
Mr Shinde on Sunday said he plans to take his cabinet as well as MLAs and Lok Sabha members from the state for 'darshan' to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya later and, hence, was not attending the idol consecration ceremony in the Uttar Pradesh city. Ahead of Monday's ceremony, Mr Shinde had given instructions to officials to carry out a cleanliness drive in temples and also decorate them with lights.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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