Much water has flown down the Saryu river since the peak of temple movement in the 1980s, followed by the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992, till the inauguration of the grand Ayodhya Ram temple today.
The journey of Ayodhya - from the days of ‘turbulence’ to the consecration ceremony now - is marked by the sacrifice of lakhs of Kar Sevaks who will probably continue to be the links to the past. Such a Kar Sevak, Sadhu Panigrahi from Bolangir’s Kantabanji described his experience during the Temple movement and how he was shot at by the police along with others.
Speaking to OTV, Panigrahi said, “Mir Baqi Khan by the order of Babar, destroyed the Ram temple in 16th Century and built the Babri Masjid at the spot. Though there were many revolutions for the construction of Ram Temple since then, the movement was intensified in 1990. I was also a part of that Ram Mandir Mukti Andolan as a Kar Sevak.”
“During that time, the Uttar Pradesh government had said, not even a bird can fly over Ayodhya. But 6 lakh Kar Sevaks entered the town. The police opened fire at us in which many Kar Sevaks died. There were bullet-ridden bodies of Kar sevaks all over the city. I had taken two bullet shots from the Police too. But by the grace of Lord Ram, I survived,” Panigrahi said.
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“It took so much time for the Hindus to get their Ram Temple because of the apathy of the previous governments at the Centre. But the picture changed after Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. It was proven before the Court that the place belongs to Lord Ram and the Temple should be built there. I am very happy that the Grand Ram Temple has been built in these two years after the court order,” he said.
“Apart from the Central government’s push, the Ram Temple could be built by the good wishes of thousands of Kar Sevaks who were either martyred or injured during the Ram Mandir movement. I am very happy that I could witness the grand event during my life time. I think my life was spared despite taking two bullets in my body, only for this day,” Panigrahi added.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony will begin at around 12:20 pm today and is expected to end by 1 pm. Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public gathering.