National Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Kuber Tila Shiva Temple in Ayodhya on Monday and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. He performed ‘Jal Abhishek’ (pouring water on the ‘Shiva linga’) and also did a ‘parikrama’ (circumambulation) of the temple.
The ancient Shiv temple located on the Kuber Tila in the Ram Janmabhoomi complex is also being renovated by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is constructing the Ram temple.
The prime minister later unveiled a statue of Jatayu, a mythical bird that was killed by Ravana while trying to save Goddess Sita from the demon king, on the premises of the Ayodhya temple. Throwing light on Jatayu’s integrity, Modi said such a sense of duty is the basis of a capable and divine India.
The main entrance to the Ram temple is situated on the eastern side, which can be approached by ascending 32 stairs through the Singh Dwar. There are a total of five ‘mandaps’ (halls) in the temple – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prathana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap. Near the temple is a historic well (Sita koop).
In the southwestern part of the temple complex at Kuber Tila, the ancient temple of Lord Shiva has been restored along with the Jatayu statue.
The consecration of the new Ram Lalla idol was led by Modi and watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across the country. The new idol depicts Ram at the age of five and was carved from black stone by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj. It was draped in a yellow dhoti, and adorned with stone-studded jewellery and flowers in shades of red, yellow and purple.
Army helicopters showered flower petals on the newly constructed Janmabhoomi temple as the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony took place – a seminal occasion in India’s political and religious history. Modi also showered flower petals on workers who were involved in the construction of the Ram temple.
