PM Modi hoists saffron flag atop Ayodhya Ram temple, says centuries-old wounds healing today

Ayodhya (UP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the "wounds and pain" of centuries are healing as a 500-year-old resolve is finally being fulfilled with the formal completion of the Ram temple here.

Modi made the remarks after ceremonially hoisting a saffron flag atop the Ram temple, an event marking the official completion of the shrine.

He was joined by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Calling the moment "epochal," the prime minister said Ayodhya was witnessing another historic milestone and added that "the entire country and the world are immersed in Ram."

Modi said the sacred flag would stand as a testament that "truth ultimately triumphs over falsehood," and congratulated Ram 'bhakts' along with all those who contributed to the construction of the temple.

Prime Minister Modi said, "Our Ram does not discriminate, and we too are moving forward with the same spirit," urging citizens to embrace inclusivity as the nation advances.

He said that by 2047, when India completes 100 years of Independence, the country must achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation, adding that "we will have to awaken the Ram within us" to realise this vision.

Modi stressed the need to take pride in India's civilisational heritage and "break free from the mentality of slavery," calling for a decisive effort over the next 10 years to shed inherited inferiority complexes.

He said the influence of Macaulay's legacy persisted long after Independence, asserting that India must rid itself of this mindset to progress.

Rejecting what he termed a "distortion" that democracy was borrowed from abroad, Modi said, "India is the birthplace of democracy and it is embedded in our DNA." According to officials, the flag hoisting marked the formal completion of the Ram temple complex, nearly six years after the Supreme Court's landmark 2019 verdict that allotted the entire 2.77-acre disputed site for the Ram Mandir.

According to an official statement, the saffron flag measuring 22 feet x 11 feet is made of parachute-grade cloth with a thick nylon hoisting rope, and is mounted atop a 161-foot spire.

The flag bears symbols of the Sun, representing Lord Ram's Surya Vansh, Om, and the Kovidara tree, described as the state tree of Ram Rajya.

Temple officials said the idol of Ram Lalla is located in the 'Garbhagriha' on the ground floor, a climb of 32 steps from the Singh Dwar on the eastern side.

The complex includes five mandaps - Nritya, Rang, Sabha, Prarthana and Kirtan and features restored heritage structures such as the ancient Shiv Mandir at Kuber Tila and the historic Sita Koop.

The Ram temple project began after the Supreme Court's unanimous judgment dated November 9, 2019.

Following the ruling, the Centre constituted the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, announced by Prime Minister Modi on February 5, 2020.

The foundation stone for the temple was laid on August 5, 2020, and the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the Ram Lalla idol took place on January 22, 2022.

The Ram Darbar was opened to devotees on June 14, 2025.