BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar unlikely to attend consecration ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir

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Ayodhya's Ram Mandir, the temple trust said on Monday. Speaking to media persons, Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai said, “Both are elders of the family, and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both." The BJP veterans who were at the forefront of the agitation for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, might not attend the ceremony due to age-related issues, according to a report published by the news agency PTI. Advani is now 96 and Joshi will turn 90 next month.

Rai said the preparations would be completed by January 15 and the puja for ‘praan pratistha’ will start from January 16 and will continue till January 22 A three-member team has been formed to visit former prime minister Deve Gowda and invite him to the ceremony, he said, adding that Shankaracharyas of six darshanas (ancient schools) and around 150 saints and sages will also participate in the ceremony. In total, about 4,000 saints and 2,200 other guests have been invited for the ceremony.

Heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, and Vaishno Devi, and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited, PTI reported. Apart from these guests, spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, cine stars Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arun Govil, film director Madhur Bhandarkar and prominent industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, famous painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO Director Nilesh Desai and many other eminent personalities have been invited to the function.

He added that after the consecration ceremony, 'mandal puja' will be held from January 24 for 48 days as per ritual traditions. The temple will be opened for devotees on