A half-day holiday is observed on January 22 in central government offices in observance of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
On Thursday, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that all central government offices would be closed for a half-day on January 22, the day of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The minister told PTI that the decision to close the office for a half-day was made in light of the overwhelming sentiments.
The order sent to all central government ministries and departments stated: “The Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on January 22, 2024, across India. To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all central government offices, central institutions, and central industrial establishments throughout India will be closed for half a day until 1430 hours on January 22, 2024.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a number of other dignitaries from various backgrounds will be present at the pran-pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple on January 22 at 12.30 p.m. The ceremonies started at the Ayodhya temple complex on January 16, seven days prior to D-day. Every day leading up to the pran-pratishtha, certain rituals are carried out.
“As you know, January 22, 2024, is the day that the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is set to open. This event holds immense religious, historical, and cultural significance for millions of people across the country, marking the realization of a long-awaited dream and the culmination of legal proceedings that have been pivotal in defining the nation’s structure,” Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra wrote in his letter on Wednesday, requesting that Chief Justice DY Chandrachud grant a holiday on January 22.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi unveiled commemorative postage stamps featuring historical events and scenes from the Ram Temple’s founding.
Having arrived at the temple complex on Wednesday evening, the second day of the pre-consecration rituals, the idol of Lord Ram has been kept inside the sanctum sanctorum but has not been installed yet. The idol is scheduled to be cleansed with water on Thursday, the third day of the rituals, as part of the ‘Jaladhivas’ ritual, and ‘Ganesh Pujan’ and ‘Varun Pujan’ will be conducted.