Don't visit Ram Mandir on Jan 22, light diyas at home: PM Modi's appeal to devotees

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed that people should not come to Ayodhya on 22 January for the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple. PM Modi asked people to light Ram Jyoti at their homes and celebrate Diwali to mark the occasion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested devotees of Lord Ram across the country not to rush to Ayodhya for the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22. Addressing a gathering in Ayodhya, PM Modi said, "I have a request for everyone. Everyone has a wish to come to Ayodhya to be a part of the event on 22 January. But you know it is not possible for everyone to come."

"Therefore, I request all Ram devotees to come to Ayodhya at their convenience once the formal program is done on January 22," he said.

He added that the devotees of Lord Ram should not cause inconvenience to the deity and should wait as he arrives. "We have already waited 550 years, please wait a few more days," said the Prime Minister.

Following the grand opening of an airport and a reconstructed train station in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Modi was speaking at a public gathering. In the countdown to the consecration event on January 22, the prime minister opened the newly built Maharishi Valmiki International Airport and the renovated Ayodhya Dham Railway Station.

He requested people to light diyas in their homes on January 22 so that the entire nation can celebrate, but he also urged them not to come on the actual day. PM Modi also requested that between January 14 and January 22, people organise cleaning campaigns at temples and places of worship throughout the nation.

Additionally, Prime Minister Modi dedicated and set the groundwork for other development projects in the state valued at over Rs 15,700 crore.