Amid rush of devotees, PM Modi urges Union ministers to defer Ayodhya visit to March: Reports

New Delhi: Amid the rush of devotees and long queues in Ayodhya for a sighting (darshan) of Ram Lalla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet during which he advised his top ministers to defer their visit to the grand temple.

According to government sources, Prime Minister Modi voiced concern over the heavy rush of devotees and the inconvenience caused to the public by VVIP and VIP visits to the temple town along with elaborate security details.

He proposed that Union ministers plan or defer their Ayodhya visits in March to ensure a smoother and more organised experience for everyone involved, sources said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the frenzy and fervour among the visiting devotees and locals were noticeable as they were on the prior when the temple was opened for darshan.

The temple witnessed surging footfalls following the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla and the grand opening on Monday.

Security was tightened in the holy city after the first day of darshan on Tuesday drew an estimated 5 lakh devotees.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Rapid Action Force (RAF) Deputy Commandant Arun Kumar Tiwari said, “We will ensure that devotees are not inconvenienced. About 1,000 jawans have been deployed inside and outside the temple. The deployment will continue for the next few days.”

The huge influx of devotees was not just seen at the Ram Temple but at the adjoining Hanuman Garhi Temple as well. The devotees, in their thousands, were seen offering laddus to Lord Hanuman and distributing the ‘prasad’ among themselves.

The celebratory ambience and festivity in the temple town are likely to be amplified further over the next few days as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, in collaboration with the International Ramayan and Vedic Research Institute Department of Culture, Uttar Pradesh will be organising the International Ramayan Utsav at the avowed birthplace of Lord Ram from January 24-28 at Ram Katha Park and Tulsi Udyan in Ayodhya.

The countries to be represented at the International Ramayan Utsav include Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Mauritius and Laos.

The Ram Lalla idol was unveiled at the elaborate ‘Pran Pratishtha ceremony’, which involved hour-long rituals in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the ceremony.