Ayodhya Ram temple opening: Maharashtra declares public holiday on January 22

livemint.com:

Ayodhya Ram temple opening: The Maharashtra government has reportedlt declared a public holiday on the day of the inauguration of Ayodhya's Ram Mandir on January 22. A notice declaring the state-wide holiday was shared by news agency ANI on Friday. The Ayodhya Ram Temple's 'pran pratishtha' ceremony is set to take place with grandeur on January 22.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several other dignitaries are expected to attend the event. Not just Maharashtra, but several other states, include Haryana and Puducherry, have declared public holiday to mark the celebrations. Meanwhile, the Tripura government declared a half-day holiday in the state on January 22 in view of the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said on Friday.

Besides, all government offices in Gujarat will and Madhya Pradesh remain closed for half a day on January 22 to celebrate the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said on Friday. Tap here's to check the list of states declared a holiday or half day on January 22. Just a few days ahead of the Ram temple ceremony, the idol of Lord Ram Lalla was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayodhya temple on Thursday.

Covered with a veil, the first photo of the idol was revealed during the placement ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is inspired by Lord Ram’s principles of governance with honesty and urged people to light Ram Jyoti on January 22, stressing that it will be an inspiration to remove poverty from their lives. “Modi’s guarantee means ‘guarantee puri hone ki guarantee’.