Mumbai, January 19: The Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday on January 22, the day of the consecration of the idol of Ram Lalla in the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Along with this, holiday has also been declared in government and private educational institutions in Maharashtra.
BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar and Shinde group MLA Pratap Sarnaik had demanded declaration of a public holiday in Maharashtra in view of the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
On this, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday announced a public holiday on January 22 across the state.
The idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ has been made by the famous sculptor of Karnataka, Arun Yogiraj. The statue is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes (200 kg). The idol depicts Lord Rama as a five-year-old child, standing on a lotus carved from the same stone.
The consecration ritual of this idol will take place in Ayodhya on 22 January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals on the occasion of ‘Pran Pratistha’. This ritual will be completed by a team of priests under the leadership of Laxmikant Dixit.
