Fruit of years of penance, sacrifice: Modi greets India on Ram Navami

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion of Ram Navami on Wednesday and said Ayodhya is in incomparable bliss as this is the first time the festival will be celebrated there after the consecration of the Ram temple.

"The first Ram Navami after the Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya is a generational milestone, weaving together centuries of devotion with a new era of hope and progress. This is a day crores of Indians waited for," Modi said in a series of posts on X.

Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Ram and a temple was recently consecrated at the place where he is believed to have been born in Ayodhya.

"Infinite best wishes to my family members across the country on the occasion of Lord Shri Ram's birth anniversary, Ram Navami! On this auspicious occasion, my heart is overwhelmed and fulfilled," the PM said as he recalled his experience during the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 this year.

"It is the supreme grace of Shri Ram that this year, along with millions of my countrymen, I became a witness to the Pran-Pratishtha in Ayodhya. The memories of that moment of Avadhpuri still pulsate in my mind with the same energy," his post read.

The prime minister also added that the celebrations in Ayodhya's Ram temple have been possible after waiting for five centuries.

"This is the fruit of so many years of hard penance, and sacrifice of the countrymen," he added.

"This is the first Ram Navami when our Ram Lalla has been enthroned in the grand and divine Ram temple of Ayodhya. Today Ayodhya is in an unparalleled joy in this celebration of Ram Navami. After waiting for 5 centuries, today we have got the privilege of celebrating this Ram Navami in Ayodhya in this manner."

He noted that the occasion of the first Ram Navami of the grand Ram temple is also to remember and pay homage to the innumerable Ram devotees and saints who have dedicated their entire lives to the construction of the Ram temple.

Modi exuded confidence that ideals of Lord Ram will "become a strong basis for the creation of a developed India" and with his blessings, India will get the energy to become self-reliant.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- took place in January this year and was attended by people from all walks of life. However, Congress leaders had turned down the invitation as Jairam Ramesh called this a "political project".

Meanwhile, to mark the occasion of Ram Navami, today at noon the sun’s rays will fall on the forehead of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, a 'Surya tilak' of the deity made possible by an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lenses.

(With PTI inputs)