Ayodhya: As thousands flocked to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, euphoria of sorts swept across the temple town where the ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration) of an idol of Ram Lalla at the newly constructed temple marked the culmination of the decades-long Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Devotees were seen breaking into song and dance to hail the return of Ram. The crowds were made up of people who had come to Ayodhya from different corners of the world to witness this landmark moment. On their part, local authorities and the state government transformed Ayodhya into a 21st-century temple town. By some estimates, as many as 4-5 lakh devotees are expected to flock to Ayodhya each day.
ThePrint’s National Photo Editor Praveen Jain captured the essence of devotion on display in Ayodhya in the run-up to and during the consecration.