PM Narendra Modi lit lamps at his Delhi residence in an early Diwali celebration to mark the ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Footage showed a serious-looking PM Modi, draped in a yellow shawl, lighting lamps and intricate bronze lamps.
The Prime Minister shared the images on X with the caption ‘Ram Jyoti’. The act of lighting lamps aims to replicate the way in which Lord Ram’s followers celebrated his return to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile.
Earlier, following the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony, for which the Prime Minister slept on the floor and consumed only coconut water for 11 days besides doing chanting, Modi urged all Indians to observe Diwali as a way to ‘welcome Lord Ram into your home’.
Addressing a gathering of several thousand people, which included prominent figures from Bollywood and sports, the Prime Minister declared that the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol in the grand temple signifies the commencement of a new era. He said the construction of the temple has infused people with a ‘new energy’.