The consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya took place today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the rituals. The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the 161-feet tall pink sandstone shrine during the hour-long 'pran pratishtha' ceremony.
After reaching the Ram Mandir dressed in a golden kurta and a cream dhoti, PM Modi said that it is a "great pleasure" to be a part of this "divine program".
Addressing a gathering at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya after the consecration ceremony, he said Lord Ram will "no longer live in a tent but will now reside in a magnificent temple".
"Today, our Ram has arrived. After a long wait for ages, our Ram has arrived," Prime Minister Modi said.
"Our Ram has arrived today after wait, patience, sacrifices of centuries," he told the gathering of about 7,000 saints, political leaders, industrialists, film stars, and sportspersons.
"It is Ram's supreme blessings that we are witnessing it," he added.