Over 1.12 lakh devotees visit Ayodhya's Ram Lalla to seek blessings on New Year

Devotees flocked to the Hanuman Garhi shrine as well. Cops struggled to keep the gathering under control and ensured there were no unpleasant incidents.

On the first day of 2022, more than 1.12 lakh pilgrims received Ram Lalla's blessings at Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, according to the temple management on Sunday. Devotees began arriving in great numbers as early as 7 a.m., crowding the main door of the grounds while waiting for their turn to view Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram). Approximately 53,000 worshippers showed up in the first four hours, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., around 59,000 worshippers attended the Ram Janmabhoomi to seek the blessings of the presiding god.

Security forces stationed there had a difficult time dealing with worshippers. Devotees thronged the small route going from Hanuman Garhi shrine to Ram Janmabhoomi. "We did not expect such a large crowd on the first day of the year," said Champat Rai, general secretary of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust.

Devotees flocked to the Hanuman Garhi shrine as well. Cops struggled to keep the gathering under control and ensured there were no unpleasant incidents. Following the Vaishno Devi disaster in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 12 people were murdered and 13 more were injured in a stampede on Saturday morning, cops were on high alert in Ayodhya to control devotee movement. Meanwhile, a three-person commission has been created to investigate the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine stampede.