Faith, Devotion, Joy and celebrations all across…it has been one year since the grand Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Also marking the first anniversary of Ram Lalla’s placement in the temple on his rightful seat. And the city of Ayodhya is rejoicing and indulged in the festive fervor, celebrating the occasion. On January 11, 2025 the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra hosted the ‘Pratishtha Dwadashi Mahotsav’. Ever since the opening of the Ram Mandir on this day January 22,2024, Ayodhya has seen a massive surge in devotees and tourists from all over the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had performed all the main rituals at the grand opening ceremony last year. In 2024, the event had aligned with Kurma Dwadashi as per the Hindu calendar while this year the Shukla Paksh of Paush fell on January 11. This made the event celebrated according to the Hindu Lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar, which is considered to be auspicious and special for new beginnings. The Paush Shukla Dwadashi or the Kurma Dwadashi is associated with the Kurma (tortoise) avatar of Lord Vishnu during the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean for the immortal nectar). The day falls during the waxing phase of the moon symbolizing growth, prosperity and positivity.  

The events for the day began with the Agnihotra ceremony that was conducted twice, from 8 am to 11 am and then from 2 pm to 5 pm, along with the chanting of mantras from Shukla Yajurveda. There was a significant participation of devotees where they chanted six lakh Shri Ram mantras and recitations of the Shri Ram Raksha Strotra and Hanuman Chalisa. In a post on X, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra shared with a series of mesmerizing pictures of Ram Lalla, “On the occasion of the Pratishtha Dwadashi, the Maha Abhishek of Prabhu was performed, followed by his Mangal Darshan.”

A series of spiritual and cultural programmes are being organized in the temple premises as well as the city to commemorate the historic event. It is like revisiting the day and establishing the religious and cultural significance of the ceremony among the visitors as well as the devotees. Marking the first anniversary, as many as thousands gathered to visit the temple.

Not only in Ayodhya, various cultural and spiritual events are going to be held today in all parts of the country. Starting from January 11-13, 2025 and today on 22 January,2025.