Ram Mandir: Know How ‘Pran Pratishtha’ Will Happen in Ayodhya | Explained

Ayodhya: With only two days to go for the historic ‘Pran Pratishtha’ at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, the devotees are joyfully eager to witness the moment on January 22. As the moment of much-anticipated inauguration of the Ram Mandir is nearing, the religious fervour is gripping Ayodhya and the entire nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the temple on Monday in Ayodhya in presence of thousands of dignitaries and devotees.

Ram Mandir’s consecration ceremony will be preceded by a 6 day long ritual at the temple starting from January 17, which is underway in Ayodhya at present. Reports suggest that only three people apart from the Prime Minister and a priest, will be present inside the ‘Garbha Griha’ during the ceremony, which includes Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandi Ben Patel and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

‘Pran Pratishtha’ will mark ritualistic transference of spirit of Ram Lalla into idol, says chief priest

The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya started on January 17, 2024, and will conclude on January 22, 2024 with the opening of the mandir. The historic inauguration of the temple is scheduled to take place between 12.20 pm and 12.45 pm on coming Monday. 

Talking exclusively to Republic, Chief Priest of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Acharya Satyendra Das Maharaj detailed the significance of the process and said that the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony will mark the ritualistic transference of the soul and spirit of Lord Ram into the idol.

Significance of ‘Pran Pratishtha’

The chief priest of the Ram Temple explained that the soul and spirit of Lord Ram will pass on to the idol through the ceremony which would include the chanting of verses from Vedas.

Detailing the significance of the 'Pran Pratishtha', he said, "The energy of Lord Ram that we worship, which helps in our well-being and keeps us in good spirits and of sound body and mind at all times, will be transferred to the idol. So, worshiping this idol of Shri Ram Lalla will bring good health and tidings."

Rituals ahead of ‘Pran Pratishtha’

The priest further said that the entire process of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ will be preceded by some rituals, which will take place on various days. He said that the ritual started with worship of different deities in the temple’s premises. Following which Lord Ram’s idol took a bath in the Saryu river and was taken for a excursion around the temple and it was installed inside the sanctum of sanctorum.

After the installation of the idol, process of Annadhiwas (Idol is kept in grains), Pushpadhiwas (Idol is kept in flowers), Ausadhiwas (Idol is kept in natural medicines), Dugdadhiwas (Idol is kept in milk) and Jaladhiwas (Idol is kept in water) is being carried out on different days.

The above rituals will be followed by the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony on January 22.

Significance of mirror showing ritual

Acharya Satyendra Das explained, “The mirror will be kept in front of the idol so that the energy that goes into it from the deity himself doesn't come into contact with a weak or feeble along the way. The lord’s energy will be very powerful and only he can see it. The energy should be pure and unalloyed or undiminished. So Lord Ram is made to show his face in the mirror after his piece of cloth put on his eyes will be removed.”

The chief priest informed that with the application of kajal to the eyes of the idol, the devotees can be allowed to see the deity.

Schedule of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony

The ceremony begins with a prayer to Lord Vishnu. Following which the priests will begin chanting mantras to invoke the presence of Lord Ram. The ceremony will be concluded with a prayer to Lord Ram.

How Ram Lalla Idol reached Ayodhya Temple

The idol of Ram Lalla had reached on January 17 in the evening to the temple in Ayodhya by road. The idol was brought on a truck to Ayodhya temple late Wednesday evening and was lifted using a crane to place it in the sanctum sanctorum. The idol is carved in black stone by Mysuru sculptor Arun Yogiraj.