Ram Temple Consecration: UP declares Jan 22 as dry day; schools, colleges to stay shut

Vedic rituals for Ram Lalla's (infant Lord Ram) Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony in Ayodhya will begin on January 16

In view of the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22, all educational institutions across the state will be closed, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

The CM also said liquor shops will remain closed in the state on that day. Earlier, the CM had declared the entire 84-Kosi Parikrama, an area near the temple premises, as a “no liquor zone”.

Meanwhile, a prominent Muslim organisation, All India Jamiatul Quresh announced that it will keep all the meat shops shut in Lucknow on the Pran Pratishtha on January 22. All the meat traders of Bilochpura, Sadar Cantt, Fatehganj and Latouche Road areas will keep their businesses closed.

“We all are Awadh residents. Keeping in mind the goodwill on the 'Pran Pratishtha' in Ayodhya, it has been decided unanimously that on January 22, 2024, all the meat traders of Bilochpura, Sadar Cantt, Fatehganj, and Latouche Road areas will keep their businesses closed," said Shahabuddin Qureshi, national secretary of All India Jamiatul Quresh.

The governments of Assam and Chhattisgarh have also decided to mark January 22 as a dry day.

The sacred seating of Lord Ram in the temple is scheduled for January 22, 2024, between 12.15 pm to 12.45 pm, coinciding with the Mrigasira Nakshatra.

According to ANI, the BJP announced plans to broadcast the consecration ceremony live at booth level across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the country on the occasion.

Vedic rituals for Ram Lalla's (infant Lord Ram) Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the major consecration ceremony.

Invitation cards for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be "hand-delivered to all the guests" through representatives of the temple trust and a large number of volunteers, official sources said.

Besides, various representatives of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and their allies are also aiding in hand-delivering the invitations.

Some of the guests have already received their invitation cards.