Several noteworthy activities will take place at the opening of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. A massive 108-foot-long incense stick is being prepped for delivery to Ayodhya, the location of the great Ram Temple building, in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' ritual, scheduled for January 22, 2024, symbolizes the placement of a newborn Lord Ram idol within the temple's sanctum sanctorum.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra foundation has invited 4,000 saints from various sects to this historic celebration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the temple's opening in Ayodhya next year.

The temple will be open to worshipers following the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. The Vedic ceremonies building up to the consecration event will begin a week early, on January 16. The principal consecration procedures will be officiated by renowned Vedic priest Lakshmi Kant Dixit of Varanasi.

42 bells for the temple

Previously, 42 bells made in Namakkal district and slated for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya were blessed before being sent to Bengaluru. Rajendra Prasad, a devout Bengaluru resident, commissioned Namakkal's Andal Moulding Works to build 48 bells for the temple.

Of these, 42 bells totaling 1,200 kg were blessed at Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple before their final transmit to Bengaluru.

According to R. Rajendran, a sixth-generation artisan at Andal Moulding Works, Rajendra Prasad found their craftsmanship through a dealer in Chennai.

"He provided all the materials we needed, including silver, copper, and bronze, for the making of the bells. For making a bell, he gave Rs 600, though normally we charge Rs 1,200 for a bell. But as these bells were being sent to Ram Mandir, we accepted the amount given by Prasad. Using 20 workers for the past one month, we have manufactured the 42 bells, and work is under way for the remaining six bells. The weight of the bells vary- five bells weigh 120 kg each, six bells weigh 70 kg each, and one bell weighs 25 kg. Before January 22, the remaining bells will also be sent to Ayodhya,” Rajendran stated, according to a news agency.

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