Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on Wednesday, said ‘wait of centuries ended today’. The PM arrived at Ayodhya at 11.45 am and visited the Hanuman Garhi Temple before performing the bhoomi pujan along with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The festivities in the city and across the country did not end with the departure of Narendra Modi.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat performed aarti at the banks of the Saryu river in the evening after attending the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Chief Minister Adityanath also lit firecrackers at his official residence in Lucknow as part of ‘deepotsav’ to commemorate the foundation stone laying ceremony.

The town of Ayodhya was lit up and people gathered in the city to light earthen lamps at Ram Ki Paudi. 

In Bhopal, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath organised Ram Darbar at his residence to celebrate the bhoomi Pujan. 

Speaking on the occasion, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said ‘Today is a historic day in our country, every Indian wanted the construction of Ram Mandir to begin.’ 

Nath said that no particular individual should try to take credit for the event as it was wrong.

In Maharashtra, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari performed aarti at the Raj Bhavan.

In Haryana, people lit earthen lamps on the premises of Mata Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula.  

The construction of the Ram Janambhoomi Temple can begin now and is most likely to be completed by 2023.