Ayodhya: The existing idols of Ram Lalla and his three brothers, revered for the past 74 years at the makeshift temple, will be ceremoniously installed in front of the new idol within the ‘garbh griha’ of the Ram Temple on January 22.
Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, stated, “The worship of the present idol of Lord Ram has been ongoing since 1950, and it will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple alongside the new idol. The worshipping of the idol will continue even after January 22 in the same manner as it has been done so far.”
Rai further mentioned that Ram Lalla’s current idol would be adorned in new attire as part of the revered transition.
The manifestation of these idols on the night of October 22-23, 1949, within the disputed site, reignited a centuries-old dispute. The Muslim side contended that the idols were placed by seers led by Hanuman Garhi’s mahant Abhiram Das. However, the event triggered strong sentiments among Hindus, leading to a series of events that culminated in the Supreme Court’s verdict on November 9, 2019, affirming the site as the birthplace of Lord Ram.