The Ram temple in Ayodhya will undergo a one-hour closure every afternoon starting Friday, according to the temple's chief priest. This decision comes amid a surge in devotees following the recent consecration ceremony.
In response to the surge in devotee footfall post-consecration ceremony, the temple trust has extended the 'darshan' (sight of the deity) timings from 6 am to 10 pm. Since January 23, morning rituals for the deity commenced at 4 am, with 'darshan' available until 10 pm.
Shri Ram Lalla is a five-year-old child and he cannot take the stress of staying awake for such long hours. So to give some rest to the child deity, the trust has decided that the doors of the temple will remain closed from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm, so that the deity may take rest,” Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest, told PTI.
Prior to the consecration ceremony, 'darshan' timings were from 7 am to 6 pm, with a two-hour afternoon hiatus from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.