A defining moment for a billion Hindus across the globe!

Over a billion people of Hindu faith across the globe are anxiously waiting for 22 January 2024 when their supreme Lord Sri Ram, would be reinstalled in his child form, in a glorious and magnificent new home to be called ‘Sri Ram Mandir’. Approximately 10,000 invited people will be attending the ‘Prana Pratishtha’ or consecration of ‘Ram Lalla’ on this auspicious day at his birthplace in Ayodhya. The invited guests list includes Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aditya Nath along with hundreds of family members of martyrs, sages and saints and leaders of religious and spiritual organisations. The event is slated to be once in lifetime opportunity for all believers of Hindu faith and for many millions who will watch it live across the globe. Once opened for public on 22 January 2024, an estimated of 100 million people are expected to visit the Mandir every year from all over the world.
Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is a dream of over a billion people which is going to materialise after a long and hard-fought battle of 500 years to regain its lost glory. The temple was demolished by Mughal invader Ba

bur in the 16th century and a mosque was built over it, which was later known as Babri Masjid. This edifice was demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992 that triggered widespread communal tensions and violence by the believers of other faith. The Ayodhya Ram Mandir dispute had been going on for centuries and successive governments including Britishers failed to reach to an amicable solution. It was finally heard by the Supreme Court of India for several years and based on the historic evidence provided by the Hindu side, the Apex Court ruled the decision unanimously in favour of Hindu community on 19 November 2019. Ayodhya is one of the most sacred places of Hindu faith and Lord Ram the most revered God of all Hindus.
The new Ram Mandir is built using pink sandstone and is spread across an area of 2.77 acres and is built in Nagara style of temple architecture characterised by its towering spires and shikharas. The temple is surrounded by a large courtyard and has several smaller shrines dedicated to other Hindu deities. The most striking feature of the temple is the giant Shaligram stone, a black stone believed to represent Lord Ram and brought from Gandaki river in Nepal. The new Ram Mandir is 161 feet high and has three floors, each with a different purpose. The first floor is dedicated to Lord Ram, while the second floor is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, and the third floor is a museum showcasing history and culture of Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is expected to boost the economy of Uttar Pradesh and the Ayodhya region leaps and bounds. Millions of devotees from across the globe are expected to visit the long-awaited Sri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, every year.
The recent unprecedented development works taken up by the government along with construction of Sri Ram Mandir have completely changed the land scape of Ayodhya. Apart from the development and construction of the new basic infrastructure in entire Ayodhya region, several major hotel chains have set their foot in the holy city to accommodate teeming millions. The recently completely state of art, Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram International Airport is a marvellous piece of ancient Indian architecture that will connect the devotees from all over the world directly to Ayodhya. The opening of Sri Ram Mandir will open flood gates of religious tourism in India specially in Uttar Pradesh.
As part of worldwide celebrations of the opening ceremony of Sri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Hindus across the globe are celebrating it with lot of enthusiasms and fanfare. At most places, two- and three-days programs have been planned to commemorate the historic event. In Auckland several Hindu leaders met at Shree Swami Narayan Mandir in Papatoetoe to discuss organising a public event on this occasion on 22nd January. Some members expressed views to involve wider community in the event especially the younger members of Indian community to make them aware of our history through this event. The details of this event should be finalised soon and all religious and community organisations across New Zealand are being consulted on this. The main motto of the core committee is the involvement of more and more people to feel part of this historic and once in a lifetime occasion. New Zealand’s oldest temple, Bharatiya Mandir will have a special celebration on this occasion for three days from 20th January to 22nd January 2024. The telecast of the consecration ceremony from Ayodhya will be shown live at the Mandir. All members of public are welcomed to join the three-day events. –Yugal Parashar