Ram Mandir flag ceremony: Special guests included tribals, forest dwellers, sons of Babri partisans

Representatives of the tribal and forest-dwelling communities of Sonbhadra, invited as special guests for the flag hoisting ceremony at the Ram temple, were joined by the invitees, including the son of a litigant in the Babri case, in Ayodhya on Tuesday (November 25).

Officials said the visitors invited by the Shri Ram Mandir Trust were given a grand welcome by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

He said that the Ram Mandir Trust has made arrangements for the guests to stay at various places in the holy city while ensuring all basic facilities.

Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said the visitors expressed gratitude for the hospitality.

“He said Lord Ram spent 14 years among the forest dwelling communities and it was a blessing for him to be a part of this historic moment,” Tripathi told PTI.

Tripathi said the trust also made arrangements for refreshments before taking the guests to the temple complex in electric vehicles.

Read more: Ram Mandir Flag Hoisting Ceremony – Everything You Need to Know

Raju Das, priest of Hanuman Garhi temple, said that the trust has invited people from all sections of the society.

Among the invitees was Iqbal Ansari, whose father Hashim Ansari was one of the original litigants in the Babri Masjid case.

“I am happy to participate in the program,” Ansari told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist a 10 feet high and 20 feet long saffron flag, which will have the image of the bright sun symbolizing the valor of Lord Ram, ‘Om’ and the Kovidra tree on top of the ‘Shikhar’ built in the traditional Nagar architectural style.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday that the ceremony is taking place on the auspicious Panchami of Shukla Paksha in the month of Margashirsha, which coincides with the Abhijit Muhurat of Vivah Panchami of Ram and Sita, the day symbolic of the divine union.