Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed the 'Bhoomi Poojan' of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 175 eminent guests, including 135 saints, were also present for the ceremony.
Nine bricks were laid down as part of the 'pooja' at the site for the temple. The priest explained the significance of the nine bricks saying that they were sent by devotees of Lord Ram from around the world in 1989. "There are 2,75,000 such bricks, out of which 100 bricks with 'Jai Shri Ram' engraving have been taken," the priest added.
After laying the foundation stone for the temple, PM Modi described it as a historical moment. "With the construction of this temple, not only history is being made, but is being repeated. The way boatmen to tribals helped Lord Ram, the way children helped Lord Krishna lift Govardhan mountain, similarly, with everyone's efforts of temple construction will be completed," PM Modi said. "Lord Ram always had love in his heart for the poor. His administrative system depended on social equity," he added.
"Ram resides in our hearts and is an integral part of our lives. People should witness the power of Lord Ram. There were efforts made in various junctures of our history to erase our existence but Lord Ram prevails and is the basis of our culture," he further said.
Meanwhile, #BabriZindaHai trended on Twitter on the day. For the uninitiated, the Babri Masjid was demolished by thousands of kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, with LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore and Vinay Katiyar were barely 100 metres away from the site.
The case for the controversial site continued in the court for years after which the SC pronounced its verdict on November 9, 2019. The entire 2.77-acre land was given to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas for construction of a temple, while the SC directed the Centre and UP govt to allot 5-acre land to the Muslims at a prominent place for building a mosque.
Unhappy with the verdict and the construction of the temple, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi recently said that Babri Masjid will always remain a mosque. “As far as Muslims and people who believe in justice are concerned, we will keep telling the new generation that our masjid was demolished. It doesn’t matter if our voices are suppressed. We will tell it in our own way,” he said.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
