Union Ministers, Meenakshi Lekhi and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, on Sunday flagged off ISKCON’s Shri Ram Padyatra from Delhi to Ayodhya.

While talking about the Padyatra, Lekhi said, “I am very privileged that this padayatra is starting from my constituency.”

She said the Padyatra is very special as it is being carried out in the name of Lord Ram.

“All members of ISKCON will start padayatra from here, cover a distance of 17 kilometres daily, and within 41 days, they will reach Ayodhya while completing the entire pilgrimage and awakening the masses. Wherever there will be a halt, the distribution of Prasad, Bhajans, and Kirtan will take place at those places,” Lekhi said while giving details about the programme.

“Ram lives in the soul of this country, we will see the construction of the Ram temple, and all this will happen before our eyes. This is historical and we consider ourselves fortunate. All this was possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Lekhi added.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple between noon and 12:45 pm on January 22, next year.

The trust has invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya next year.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, next year, a week before the main ceremony.

A Vedic priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22.

From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.

A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed.

Several tent cities are being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand consecration of the Ram Temple.

According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people.

Local authorities are gearing up for the anticipated surge in visitors around the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony and are in the process of implementing enhanced security measures and making logistical arrangements to ensure a smooth and spiritually enriching experience for all attendees.