Ayodhya Ram Mandir: The moment of consecration of the idol of Ram Lala is also near. The more grand the Ram temple is, the more charming are the new idols of Ram Lala. On January 22, 2024, the new idol of Ram Lala will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum, the tradition of Pran Pratistha will be followed.

Three new statues of Ram Lala have been made. Old idols of Shri Ram will also be installed in the sanctum sanctorum. This will be called Utsav Murti. The new statue will remain as an immovable statue. Know what is Utsav Murti and Achal Murti.

Importance of the ‘Achal’ idol of Ram Mandir (Ram Mandir :Achal Murti’)

Immovable means permanent. The idol seated in the sanctum sanctorum of Ram temple will remain an immovable idol. For this, the idol of Arun Yogiraj has been finalized which will be of dark complexion. According to Ram Mandir Trust, the Ram Lala immovable idol has been made 51 inches tall, in which Shri Ram is seated on a lotus in the form of a 5 year old child. The height of the idol along with the lotus flower will be 8 feet. The idol is shown standing, with Ram Ji holding a bow in his hands.

It is said in the praise of Shri Ram that Nilambujam Shyamam Komalangam means Shri Ram is of dark complexion. This is the reason why the idol of Shyam Varna will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum on the first floor of the temple.

What is the ‘Utsav’ idol of Ram Lala (Ram Mandir ‘Utsav Murti’)

The idol of Ram Lalla which is being worshiped since 1949 has been named Chal i.e. Utsav Murti. These idols will also be seated near the revered idol. The old idols of Shri Ram were very small in size, due to which the devotees could not see them. Since the old idol is being worshiped for years, there was a lawsuit for years for building a divine temple in the name of the seated Ramlala and it was won, hence this idol is considered very important. These idols will be taken out for the yatra in the festival related to Ram Ji. That is why they have been named Utsav Murti.

3 idols for Ram temple

Three different sculptors have made the idol of Ram Lala for the Ram temple, in which three blue stone i.e. dark colored idols of Arun Yogiraj of Karnataka will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum. Whereas the statue of Satyanarayan Pandey is of white marble, white in colour. The third statue is also of blue stone but it has been made in the style of South India. It has been made by Ganesh Bhatt. According to Ram Mandir Trust, apart from the main idol, the two remaining idols will also be kept for darshan.

Ayodhya: Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Rama and is a great place to take a dip in the pool of spirituality. It has many temples and is one of the most revered cities of ancient India. There is an ancient belief that this city was built by the gods themselves. It is situated on the banks of the sacred Saryu river and is the headquarters of Ayodhya district and Ayodhya division. It also forms a municipal corporation with Faizabad.

District at a glance

District: Ayodhya Headquarters: Ayodhya Area: 2,522 sq. Km. Population: 24,70,996 (as per 2011 census)

Language: Awadhi Village: 1,272 Assembly Constituency: 5 Parliamentary Constituency:

Ayodhya 20 important facts

Historical facts about Ayodhya

-Ayodhya was formerly known as Saket, which is an ancient city of India. The great epic Ramayana, deals with the birth of Lord Rama and the rule of his father Dasharatha. It is believed that the city was prosperous and well fortified with a large population.

– In traditional history, Ayodhya was the early capital of the Kaushal kingdom. The capital of Kosaldesh was ruled by many eminent kings like Ikshvaku, Prithu, Mandhata, Harishchandra, Sagar, Bhagiratha, Raghu, Dilip, Dasharatha and Rama. During the Buddhist period around the sixth-fifth century BC, Shravasti became the main city of the kingdom. According to some scholars, Ayodhya is identical to the city of Saket, where the Buddha is said to have resided for some time.

-During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Kanauj kingdom emerged in Ayodhya, then known as Awadh. The region later joined the Delhi Sultanate, the Jaunpur Empire and, in the 16th century, the Mughal Empire. It was earlier also known as Kanyakumbaj.

The city of Ayodhya situated on the banks of river Saryu is full of remains of ancient times . Faizabad city is originally known as Faizabad. The foundation of the city was laid by Saadat Khan, the second Nawab of Awadh, about two and a half centuries ago. It is situated 7 km away from Ayodhya city. Keeping alive the traditions and heritage of the times of Nawabs, this place can be visited for various tourist attractions like Moti Mahal, Gulab Bari and Bahu Begum’s tomb.

– A long series of ghats on the Saryu River were built by Raja Darshan Singh in the first half of the 19th century. On the banks of the river there are beautiful temples dedicated to Sita, Ram and Narasimha. Apart from this the sanctity of this place has enhanced the temples of Chakrahari and Gupthari.

– According to Hindu legend, the mythical man Manu founded Ayodhya, as recorded in the Hindu epic Ramayana. It later became the capital of the Suryavanshi dynasty, whose most famous king was Lord Rama.

Ayodhya is also mentioned in Atharveda. Furthermore, Jain traditions claim that five Tirthankaras were born in Ayodhya.

– Ayodhya or Avadhpuri, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is considered the first of the seven most important pilgrimage sites or Mokshadayini Sapt Puri of Hindus.

–  Various fairs and festivals are Deepotsav Ayodhya, Ram Navami Fair, Shravan Jhula Fair, Ram Leela, Parikrama, Antargrahi Parikrama, Panchkoshi Parikrama, Chaturdashkoshi Parikrama etc.

-There are many places worth visiting in Ayodhya: Ramkot, Hanuman Garhi, Tulsi Memorial Building, Shri Nageshwarnath Temple, Kanak Bhawan, Mani Parvat and Korean Park etc.

Therefore, Ayodhya is an ancient city and is considered one of the seven holy cities of Hindus. Also called Awadh, is a city in south-central Uttar Pradesh state in northern India.

Ayodhya 24 facts Additional

1. A time capsule will be buried in the ground at some distance from the temple  so that if some information about the temple is to be obtained after years, it can be obtained.
2. The temple will be built with bricks with the name Shri Ram  inscribed on them. Among the uses of these bricks, some of them have been out of use for more than 30 years. These old bricks also have another name, which   is called Ram Shila .
3. The temple will be constructed using ancient methods , hence steel or iron  will not be used  anywhere in the temple  .
4. Sompura Architect has designed the temple. This family of Sompura  has been adept in temple and building construction for thousands of years.
5. Help will be provided in the construction of the temple by bringing stones from the hill named Anjani in Karnataka,  where  Lord Hanuman  is said to have been born.
6. Soil will be collected from more than 2500 places   and brought to the temple.
7. Water from different rivers of the country will also be used and water from some  clean ponds  will be used.
8. People from India will cooperate in the construction of the temple and gold and silver bricks have come from all over India  for the construction of the  temple.
9. The entire temple   has been built keeping in mind Vaastu Shastra .
10. Apart from  Lord Ram , idols of many gods and goddesses will also  be installed in the temple.
11. More than 10 thousand  devotees will be able to have darshan of Ramlala at one time only in the temple building .
12. Ram temple will be built in two storeys,  whose height will be 128 feet , length will be 268 feet and width will be 140 feet .  On the ground floor of the temple, the surrounding design will depict the story of Lord Rama, his birth and his childhood.
13. Ram temple will be completely built with stones. Steel or iron  will not be used in the construction of the temple  . Even Anu Bhai  Sompura , supervisor of the construction project  , announced that instead of iron, other elements like copper, white cement and wood would be used.
14. Uttar Pradesh  falls in earthquake   sensitive  zone -4 . But this part of Awadh including Ayodhya is in Zone Three. The danger here is less as compared to other parts. That is why Ram Temple   will be made capable of withstanding earthquakes of 8 to 10 on reactor scale measurement .
15. One of the most interesting facts about the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple is the layout of the foundation, which has been   built using  sacred soil that  came from  2587 areas .
16. For example Jhansi, Bithoori, Yamunotri, Haldighati, Chittorgarh, Shivaji Fort, Golden Temple and many other holy places contribute to its foundation.
17. Ram Mandir is going to be the largest temple of India as per its design structure. The Sompura family, who designed the temple, had also discussed that the design was made by Ashish Sompura, son of Chandrakant Sompura, 30 years ago. According to the family,  the height of the temple  reaches about 161 feet  with an area of  ​​28,000 square feet .
18. The sacred ceremony on August 5 featured a special holy water with a foundation layout containing   holy water from  150 sacred  rivers from across India.
19. The composition of these river waters  came from the family of two brothers, Shabd Scientist Mahakavi Triphala  and  Radhe Shyam Pandey . The combination of this sacred water is a mixture of three seas, eight rivers and the soil of Sri Lanka. 
20. Additionally, Mansarovar water was also a part of this combination. Along with this,  water from the 600- year-  old Durga temple in West Jaintia Hills, river water from Mintang and Mintu were also part of the holy water mix.
21. On the first floor, the designed structure   will depict the court of Lord Rama . One of the most unique features of the temple is the use of Bansi Paharpur, pink sandstone in the construction, which was collected from Bharatpur in Rajasthan. Also, the report claims that  360 pillars  will be specially built with Nagara style design
22. Meanwhile,  57 acres of land will include a temple complex and  10 acres of land  will be for temple construction. The remaining area will have four small temples surrounding the Ram temple.
23. Ayodhya, the sacred birthplace of Lord Rama,   is one of the Holy Saptapuris . Apart from Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjayini) and Dwarka are included in the Holy Saptapuris.
24. The Ram temple has left a significant mark in Ayodhya. A place that will now make a significant impression on those who did not know about it before.