A massive crowd that swelled by the hour and became unmanageable in the afternoon thronged the main gateway to the Ram temple here as it opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, a day after the consecration ceremony. Photos and Text: PTI
Updated On: 2024-01-23 04:31 PM IST
Compiled by : Editor
Ram Path -- the main thoroughfare -- was choked as devotees flooded the streets of the temple town, which has been gripped by religious fervour over the inauguration of the grand mandir.
The entry of devotees to the temple complex began at 6 am and about 2.5 lakh people are likely to have visited the temple by 2 pm, Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal told PTI.
Waiting in serpentine queues outside the temple were people who had been camping in Ayodhya since before the consecration ceremony, having made long and difficult journeys to reach the temple town.
An idol of the new Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Tuesday, 'Ram dhun' played in the streets as security personnel kept guard and sought to control the crowd even as many chanted "Jai Shri Ram" and attempted to enter through the gateway.
For a couple hours in the afternoon, the crowd became so huge that the security personnel scrambled to maintain order. The entire section of the Ram Path facing the gateway was blocked as many devotees, some of whom landed with suitcases and backpacks, wanted to have a 'darshan'.
At the main gateway, the commotion in the crowd led to one devotee fainting and having to be taken for medical treatment. There was a "sudden massive rush" in the morning and the people were continuously streaming in, seeking to visit the temple and have a darshan of Ram Lalla, Dayal said.
The administration is taking measures to keep the crowd in order, "with proper holding (area), queuing and proper barricading", he added. Uttar Pradesh information director Shishir said more than 8,000 policemen are deployed at the temple and "everything is under control". Director General, Law Order, Prashant Kumar and Principal Secretary, Home, Sanjay Prasad are inside the temple and overseeing the arrangements.
Ayodhya police, in a post on X, also refuted rumours that the temple was temporarily closed due to the heavy rush. Suresh Kumar and his friend from Chhattisgarh stood in the milling crowd, eager to have a 'darshan' but had little hope of getting in as they both carried suitcases. "We have come from Durg. We took a train to Kanpur and then a bus to Lucknow and another bus to Ayodhya and reached Ayodhya at 10.30 am," he told PTI.
