No Gunshots, Only Name Of Ram Will Echo In Ayodhya: Yogi Adityanath

With less than a week left for Ram Lalla's much-awaited homecoming, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Ayodhya will resonate with the soulful notes of Sankirtan in the name of 'Ram' and earthen lamps will be lit and a Deepotsav will be celebrated where bullets once rang out.

Speaking at an event in the city on Tuesday, Chief Minister Adityanath said, "Why is the city called Ayodhya? Why does it have age-old traditions? Even our Vedas have glorious references to Ayodhya. If you cultivate an interest in our traditional beliefs, you will sense their resonance in every brick laid in the city today."

"Ayodhya will now be opened to devotees for darshan. Now bullets will not be fired in the streets of Shri Ayodhya Dham, but there will be Deepotsav. Now Shri Ayodhya ji will not go through curfew, but will resonate with the echo of Sankirtan in the name of Ram," CM Yogi added.

Heaping praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping bring the dream of a grand Ram Temple to fruition, the CM said, "As we count down to the opening of the Ram Temple, I wish to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was there every step of the way during the struggle and it is because of his relentless effort and guidance that this wait of over 500 years is finally coming to an end."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi, who will inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, said on Tuesday that the expanse of Lord Ram's life and his inspiration are much beyond devotion.

Noting that the entire country is steeped in devotion ahead of the Pran Pratishtha event at Ayodhya temple on January 22, PM Modi said that the expanse of Lord Ram is a symbol of good governance in social life.

He made several references to Ramayana in his speech, saying that the entire country is "Rammay."

"The entire country is Rammay (obsessed with Lord Ram). The scope of Lord Ram's life, His inspiration and faith extend far beyond devotion. Lord Ram is a symbol of good governance in social life," PM Modi said.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on Tuesday, a week before the main ceremony.

The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, said the Ram temple will be opened for 'darshan' to the general public from January 23.

The 'Pran Prathishtha' is expected to conclude by 1 pm on January 22.

"PM Modi and other dignitaries at the event will express their thoughts after the ceremony. As per tradition, gifts in 1,000 baskets have come from Nepal's Janakpur and areas of Mithila. On January 20 and 21, darshan will remain closed to the public," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping a fast and observing an 11-day special ritual in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)