New Delhi: Former India captain Virat Kohli became the latest cricketer after MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar to receive an invitation for the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony that is set to take place on January 22 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Earlier in the day, pictures of Dhoni and Tendulkar receiving invitations went viral on social media.
Although the main ceremony is on January 22, the Vedic rituals of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began last Tuesday. The Ram Temple will open for public darshan from January 23, said Champat Rai, General secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
“The ‘Pran Prathishtha’ is expected to conclude by 1 PM. PM Modi and others present on the occasion will express their thoughts after the ceremony. As per tradition, gifts in 1000 baskets have come from Nepal’s Janakpur and areas of Mithila. On Jan 20 and 21 darshan will remain closed to public,” Rai said.
Earlier on Monday, senior RSS functionary Dhananjay Singh handed over the invitation to Dhoni at his residence in Ranchi. BJP organising secretary Karmaveer Singh was also present on the occasion. “We handed over the invitation card to him (Dhoni) on behalf of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22,” Singh told PTI.
Singh said that Dhoni and his family members expressed their happiness after receiving the invitation. Meanwhile, Kohli is currently a part of the Indian squad that is playing Afghanistan in the three-match T20I series. The former India skipper missed the first match due to personal reasons but played in the second. He will be playing in the third too in Bengaluru.