Along with the PM, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and trustees of Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust were part of the ceremony. 

“The flag hoisting is scheduled to begin around 11.50 am. PM Modi, RSS Chief Bhagwat, Swami Govind Dev Giri, the UP Governor, and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will be present for the ceremony. The flag, which will be hoisted today, carries symbols of the Kividar tree, Surya, and Om. It is saffron in colour, representing the rising sun and fire, and symbolises sacrifice and devotion,” Champat Rai, Secretary of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said earlier in the day.

The flag is about 20 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighs about 20 kg. Due to its size and weight, the Army was consulted for guidance on the hoisting technique.

Before the main ceremony, the PM held a 1.5-km roadshow on the Ram Path before entering the Ram Temple, where his cavalcade was greeted with a shower of flower petals. He also visited Sapta Madapam, home to temples of seven sages, and offered flowers before the idols of Maharishi Vashistha, Agastya, Valmiki, Mata Shabri, Nishad Raj, Guha, and Tulsidas.

Modi and Bhagwat also performed the pooja at the Ram Darbar side by side, with the CM and Governor Anandiben Patel standing behind. The PM along with the RSS chief then went to the ground floor to perform puja before the idol of Ram Lalla.

Construction of the temple began after the Bhumi Poojan was performed by the PM in August 2020, whose foundation was laid by the Supreme Court’s November 9, 2019, judgment. A five-judge Supreme Court bench, led by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, ruled in favour of Ram Lalla, and said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7 acres will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of the Ram Temple at the site. 

Inside the temple

Apart from the Ram Lalla idol on the ground floor of the temple — whose consecration took place on January 22, 2024, with rituals led by Modi — the first floor houses the Ram Darbar, including Ram, Sita, Ram’s brothers, and Hanuman, whose consecration took place on June 25 led by the CM.

Along with the completion of the main temple, six smaller temples in its precincts are ready: Goddess Durga in the northwest, Maa Annapurna in the north-central, Ganesha in the northeast, Suryadev in the southeast, Hanuman in the south-central, and the Shiva-Sheshavadhar temple in the southwest.

The flag will also be hoisted on these temples.

Sources said among the invitees for the ceremony were people of different communities and sections — Kinnars, Kumhars, Lodhis, Yadavs, Dhobis, Pasis, Valmikis, Ravidas etc. Among the ST invitees are those from UP but also West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu. Sources say that everyone on the list has had a direct or indirect association with the RSS.