Amid heavy rush of Ram Mandir devotees, all routes to Ayodhya sealed off: Report

In an attempt to fend off the massive crowd that has descended on the northern Indian city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to visit the Ram Janambhoomi Mandir, the city district administration has sealed off the borders for the time being, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

Apart from deploying more Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, the Ayodhya city administration has installed blockades 15 kilometres ahead of the district borders to stop incoming traffic from Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda, Basti and Amethi among other routes.

“We are trying to ease the situation. We have allowed emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying perishable items to enter Faizabad but all entries into Ayodhya town are sealed off. All traffic towards Ayodhya district hasbeen prohibited,"Ayodhya commissioner Gaurav Dayal was quoted as saying by the publication.

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The Uttar Pradesh government has meanwhile appealed to the VIPs to alert the state officials or the temple trust about their visit in advance.

"Given the extraordinary influx, VIPs and distinguished individuals are kindly urged to notify the local administration, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust or the Uttar Pradesh Government before scheduling their visit to Ayodhya over the next seven to 10 days.”

Notably, a day after the consecration ceremony (Pran Pratishtha), nearly 500,000 devotees visited the temple. Braving the chilly weather, devotees waited in long, serpentine queuessince 3 am to gain entry to the temple tocatch a glimpse of Ram Lalla and offer prayers.

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Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration ceremony on January 22 as the Ram Lalla idol, cast in black shaligram stone, was unveiled in front of the world.

The temple, central to Hindu beliefs who regard that Lord Ram was born here,has been built after a struggle of nearly 500 years that included a lengthy court case.

PM Modi reflected on the same and said Lord Ram had finally arrived after a "wait of centuries".

"Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will stay in a magnificent temple,"said PM Modi.

"After the patience that we showed for centuries and the sacrifices we made, our Lord Ram has finally arrived. This is a moment of celebration as well as the moment of a reflection of Indian society's maturity. It is an occasion of not merely triumph but humility too," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)