UP: Devotees throng Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple ahead of "dhwaj" ceremony on Nov 25

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 9 : With less than two weeks remaining for the "dhwaj" (flag hoisting) ceremony at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, devotees are visiting the temple in large numbers to offer prayers to Lord Ram ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit on November 25.
Families are bringing children to seek blessings and participate in the preparations for the ceremony.
According to one of the members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, Anil Mishra, highlighted the significance of the "dhwaj", or the flag hoisting ceremony. He also said that the trust will ensure that everyone receives the darshan prasad when they come for prayers.
"This is a symbol for the nation in the coming days, I also think that darshan of god, and seeing the god with your eyes is a Prasad in itself. The trust makes sure that everyone receives prasad, this has always happened, we will ensure this time too. We will definitely give prasad," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, one of the litigants in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, Iqbal Ansari, highlighted how Ayodhya has always stayed a multi-religious city, and welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming to participate in the dhwaj ceremony.
"Ayodhya's land is a spiritual land, every religion's devtas, mahadevtas are welcome here. People from every religion come and settle here. Prime Minister coming here for the flag ceremony is great for the city. It is Chief Minister Yogi ji's good fortune that both the PM and he get to hoist the flag here at Ram Mandir. This is the identity of Ayodhya, it is the identity of this place. This is a great thing that the flag will be hoisted by PM Modi and CM Yogi," he said.
There has been a steady flow of devotees, which has been increasing every day since Diwali, and in anticipation of the "dhwaj" getting closer, according to the temple's Superintendent of Police (Security), Balramchari Dubey.
To ensure there are no security lapses, the police are conducting surprise inspections around the temple premises.
Discussing the measures taken to enhance the security of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Dubey said that they have activated all their cameras in both the Red Zone and Yellow Zone and are constantly monitoring the area.
"The number of devotees has been steadily increasing since Diwali... To ensure there are no security lapses, we are also conducting surprise inspections. Additionally, we have activated all our cameras in both the Red Zone and Yellow Zone and are constantly monitoring them....We are working diligently to ensure that visitors do not face any inconvenience. Secondly, our security arrangements, our anti-drone system, jammer system, etc, are constantly active..." Dubey told ANI.
In a landmark announcement made earlier, the "Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Shetra Trust" announced on Monday through an official post on 'X' that all construction work related to Ayodhya's Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Temple has been completed.
The construction includes the main temple premises and six other temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Suryadev, Goddess Bhagwati, Goddess Annapurna, and the Sheshavatar temple.
"It is with great joy that we inform all devotees of Lord Rama that all work related to the temple construction has been completed. This includes the main temple and the six temples within the boundary wall--Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Suryadev, Goddess Bhagwati, Goddess Annapurna, and the Sheshavatar temple, all of which have been fully constructed.
The flagpoles and kalash (pinnacles) have also been installed on these temples," the Ram Temple trust wrote on 'X'.Seven mandapas, namely those of Maharishi Valmiki, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, Maharishi Agastya, Nishadraj, Shabari, and Rishi's wife Ahilya, have also been fully constructed, along with the completion of the Maharshi Tulsi Das temple.