Chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Acharya Satyendra Das on Tuesday expressed his jubilance as devotees in huge numbers arrived in Ayodhya to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla after the temple gates were thrown open to the public. He said that the temple town has gone back to the time of ‘Treta Yug’ (the second of four Yugas believed in Hinduism), a time considered when Lord Ram used to live.

“After Pran Pratishtha, the (Ayodhya) Nagari has turned pure. In the Treta Yug, when Lord Ram came back, the Ayodhya nagari was delighted…A glimpse of the Treta Yug is visible today. So many Bhakts have come to Ayodhya now and Jai Shree Ram chants are echoing here; it seems that we have gone back to Ayodhya during the Treta Yug times,” the chief priest said.

The chief priest also said that not everyone will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Ram today given the sheer number of people assembled for ‘darshan’. “So much crowd has gathered here today that not everyone will be able to have darshan today and the same crowd will be visible tomorrow and for the next few days,” he said.

The Acharya said the reason for such crowd could be attributed to 4,000 saints who arrived at the city from across the country. Each brought at least two to four people along with them.

On Pran Pratishtha, Satyendra Das said on Monday that Ram Rajya will begin with the ceremony, and all the inequalities will be over.

“Everyone will behave with love. From Ayodhya, the change will come to the entire country, and it will be very beautiful. And everyone will live in harmony. We will live with goodwill. Lord Ram’s blessing will fall on everyone,” he said earlier.

The temple opened its doors to the public this morning after the consecration of Lord Ram’s idol on Monday. Both locals and visitors gathered near the main gateway along the Ram Path leading to the temple complex late on Monday night, seeking an early entry to the premises the following morning.

A large number of the invitees, including seers, later had a ‘darshan’ of the deity soon after the consecration ceremony ended. Ayodhya administration said several lakh people turned up at Ram Mandir on Tuesday morning to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla, beyond the limit anticipated by the officials.

The administration was expecting crowd but not of this magnitude

“Today, our Ram has arrived. After a long wait for ages, our Ram has arrived. Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will stay in a magnificent temple,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, addressing the invitees who attended the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.