Vehicle access on certain roads leading to the temple has been also been temporarily closed
Ayodhya witnessed an unprecedented surge in pilgrims over the past two days, since the grand inauguration of the Ram Temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Following the consecration ceremony, the temple is now open to the general public, leading to a substantial influx of devotees eager to seek darshan of Ram Lalla.
In response to the overwhelming crowd of devotees at the temple, authorities have extended the timings, allowing devotees to visit until 10 pm. To facilitate the smooth flow of pilgrims, media access within the Ram Janmabhoomi complex has been restricted for the day.
Additionally, vehicle access on certain roads leading to the temple has been temporarily closed, and devotees are required to approach on foot. A comprehensive security arrangement, comprising personnel from the UP Police, Rapid Action Force (RAF), and private security guards, has been implemented, with over 8,000 police officers deployed for crowd control.
Considering the massive surge in visitors, online booking for aarti has been suspended until January 29. On Tuesday alone, approximately 5 lakh devotees flocked to the temple, braving cold wave-like conditions. Of these, 3 lakh managed to have darshan during the day, while the remainder patiently waited in queues.
The Uttar Pradesh government has dispatched senior bureaucrat Sanjay Prasad and top police officer Prashant Kumar to Ayodhya. Mr Kumar assured that measures have been taken to enhance crowd management, with designated channels created for the flow of people.