Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Wednesday that he will witness the historic consecration of the Ram Temple after accepting an invitation from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the January 22 event. The PM shared a photo of his meeting with members of the trust, which is overseeing the construction of the temple, on X.

“Jai Siya Ram! Today is a day full of emotions. Recently, the officials of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had come to meet me at my residence. They invited me to come to Ayodhya on the occasion of the consecration of Shri Ram temple. I feel very blessed. It is my good fortune that in my lifetime, I will witness this historic occasion,” he posted on X.

Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, said members of the trust met Modi in Delhi on Wednesday. Chairman of the Ram temple construction committee Nripendra Misra was also present, he added. “Today, along with members of the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, we met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have invited him to come on January 22 to install the idol of Lord Ram in the Garbhagriha. He has accepted our request and will be present on January 22. The date for ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January 22 is confirmed,” Rai posted on X after the meeting. After the consecration ceremony, devotees will be allowed to enter the temple, people familiar with the matter said.

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On Tuesday, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said the consecration ceremony will take place on January 22 while addressing RSS workers in Nagpur.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the consecration ceremony will reflect feelings of crores of devotees.

In a post on ‘X’, Adityanath said, “The long-awaited event (of) happiness, pride and satisfaction of the consecration of Ram Lalla at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reflect the feelings of crores of devotees of Lord Ram.”

In 2019, the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. In February2020, the Centre established the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to oversee all decisions related to the construction of the temple. The foundation stone for the temple was laid by Modi on August 5, 2020.

Earlier this month, the temple trust released latest pictures of the temple. Trust members had said that the work on ground floor was “90% done” and it will likely be completed by the end of December.