As the holy city of Ayodhya soaks in Ram dhun, ready for the consecration ceremony (pran pratishtha) of the Ram temple today, guests and celebrities start to pour into Ayodhya.

The ceremony has been concluded.

Updated at 3 p.m.

PM offers pooja at restored Shiv temple at Kuber Tila. PM Modi paid homage to the holy bird Jatayu's statue at Kuber Tila. He also greets temple workers with flowers.

Updated at 2.15 p.m.

PM Modi addresses the gathering at the premises of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

Updated at 12.53 p.m.

Pran pratishtha completed

Carrying a silver ‘chhatra’ placed on a red cloth amidst playing of ‘Mangal Dhvani’, prime minister Modi climbed up the stairs of the newly constructed Ram temple and performed ‘Sankalp’ within the 84 seconds ‘abhijit muhurat’ as part of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla.

He then went into the garbh griha amid chanting of mantras to complete the remaining rituals.

The majestic five ft tall statue of five-year-old Ram Lalla was finally unveiled to the world.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath were also present in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

The ceremony was completed amid blowing of conch shells and a helicopter showered flower petals on the temple.

Updated at 12.36 p.m.

Army helicopters fly past the temple showering flower petals and artists play instruments as aarti began. CM Yogi Adutyanath joins PM Modi in the aarti.

Updated on 12.15 p.m.

PM starts performing pran pratishtha in the garbha griha of the Ram temple. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also sits in the pooja.

Updated on 12.05 p.m.

PM arrives at Ram temple

Prime minister Narendra Modi arrives at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya to perform pran pratishtha. A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals.

Mukesh Ambani arrives in Ayodhya

Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani, founder and Nita Ambani arrive at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the Ram temple pran pratishtha ceremony.

PM Modi to arrive in Ayodhya 

Celebrities in Ayodhya

Actors Madhuri Dixit Nene, Vicky Kaushal, Katrina Kaif, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt; filmmakers Rajkumar Hirani, and Rohit Shetty arrived at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya to attend the pran pratishtha ceremony

Actors Anupam Kher and Kangana Ranaut also reached the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya to attend the Ram temple pran pratishtha ceremony.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, along with Abhishek Bachchan, reached the temple for the ceremony.

Actor Jackie Shroff also reached the temple premises.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reached the temple for the pran pratishtha ceremony.

Actor Rishab Shetty, who is currently working on ‘Kantara Chapter 1’, reached Ayodhya along with his wife, Pragathi Shetty, to be part of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir.

The actor, who heartily accepted the invitation by the government to be part of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, shared the picture of himself along with his wife from Ayodhya.

Veteran Tamil megastar Rajinikanth too reached Ayodhya. The actor was seen at a hotel in Ayodhya. He received a warm welcome and was greeted by people with folded hands .

Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan were also papped at the Hyderabad airport before they left for Ayodhya.

Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan also shared a video of himself travelling in his car to Ayodhya. He was seen in a traditional white outfit.

Advani to skip the ceremony

Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, who campaigned across the country for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, will not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony due to extreme cold weather.

It is being said that the decision has been taken keeping in view the health of 96-year-old Advani and due to extreme cold weather.

Well known singer Sonu Nigam sang verses from the Ramcharitmanas ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

He won an applause for his rendition of ‘Raghukul reet sada chali aayi” and the saints, in particular, were seen clapping to the rhythm.

Sonu set the spiritual mood for the event and ended his performance with Jai Shri Ram.

Anuradha Paudwal also gave a rendition on the occasion. Shankar Mahadevan took to the stage following Paudwal's performance.

Temple’s specifications

The magnificent Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is constructed in traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet; width 250 feet and height is 161 feet; and is supported by a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors.

The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods, and goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum at ground floor, the childhood form of Shri Ram (the idol of Shri Ramlalla) has been placed.

The main entrance to the Mandir is situated on the eastern side, which can be approached by ascending 32 stairs through the Singh Dwar.

There are a total of five Mandaps (Halls) in the Mandir – Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prathana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap. Near the Mandir is a historic Well (Sita koop), dating back to the ancient era.

In the southwestern part of the Mandir complex, at Kuber Tila, the ancient Mandir of Bhagwan Shiv has been restored, along with the installation of a statue of Jatayu.

The foundation of the Mandir has been constructed with a 14-meter- thick layer of roller-compacted concrete (RCC), giving it the appearance of artificial rock. No iron is used anywhere in the Mandir.

For protection against ground moisture, a 21-foot-high plinth has been constructed using granite. The Mandir complex has a sewage treatment plant, water treatment plant, water supply for fire safety and an independent power station. The Mandir has been constructed employing the country’s traditional and indigenous technology.

(With inputs from IANS)

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