Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is expected to be ready. January 22 has been confirmed as the date when the consecration (known as pran pratisththa ceremony) of the idol of Ram Lalla will be done at the temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be in attendance for the ceremony.
Invitations for the ceremony have been extended by the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra to nearly 7,000 dignitaries including industrialists Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata. Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, besides cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are also among the invitees.
Sources in the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said invites have also been sent to journalists who supported them in making “the Ram temple a reality”. Among those likely to feature in the list of invitees are Sudhir Choudhary, Rajat Sharma, Arnab Goswami, Shweta Singh, Dainik Bhaskar MD Sudhir Agarwal, Jagran Prakashan CEO Sanjay Gupta and non-executive chairman Mahendra Mohan Gupta, besides India Today editor-in-chief Aroon Purie.Invites have also been sent via post and WhatsApp to saints, priests and VVIPs including former civil servants, retired Army officers, lawyers and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan recipients.