1.5 Lakh Devotees Throng Ayodhya Ram Temple on Day 1: What are the Dos & Don’ts for Darshan?

The Pran Prathistha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya yesterday was a massive crowd-puller, with hundreds of devotees thronging the compound Tuesday morning to have the Darshan of Lord Ram Lalla.

The Ayodhya administration had to suspend the Darshan until 2 pm in order to contain the crowd as more than 1.5 lakhs devotees reached the temple on the first day, said Gaurav Dayal, Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner.

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust issued Darshan timings, and advisory for devotees in order to avoid chaos. Devotees will be allowed to see the idol of Ram Lalla from 7 am to 11.30 am, and 2 pm to 7 pm. The temple will be closed for Darshan from 1 pm to 3 pm daily.

As per the guidelines set by the Trust, fruits and milk can be offered to the idol of Lord Ram.

The attire of Ram Lalla will vary throughout the week; white on Monday, red on Tuesday, green on Wednesday, yellow on Thursday, pale yellow on Friday, blue on Saturday, and pink on Sunday. On special occasions, they will be adorned in yellow attire.

Notably, the temple remains open daily for the Darshan.

Day 1 Scene

People started pouring in at 3 am on Tuesday, not only from within Ayodhya, but from the neighbouring districts such as Lucknow, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich, Unnao and Gorakhpur to catch the glimpse of Ram Lalla. “Around 7 am, as the gates of the temple opened, a chaotic situation prevailed,” said Rajesh Pandey, a local who reached Ayodhya to see the temple.

Barricading was in place to manage the crowd on Tuesday morning.

“Special crowd management system was put in place. We have formed a special holding area and are releasing the crowd in a controlled manner in order to avoid any chaos at the Ram Temple,” said Gaurav Dayal, divisional commissioner, Ayodhya.

Inspector General of Police (IG), Ayodhya Praveen Kumar said newly deployed UP Special Forces and other security personnel have been given special instructions to manage the crowd. “Our responsibility is to manage the crowd but at the same time we have to be the police as well. The security forces have been strictly told not to be harsh with the devotees and ensure strict management of the crowd,” Kumar told News18.