Ayodhya: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his cabinet colleagues visited Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on Saturday.
CM Patel, ministers of the Gujarat state cabinet, speaker Shankar Chaudhary and the Chief Whip, among others offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ayodhya on Saturday.
The delegation led by CM Patel reached Ayodhya on Saturday morning.
Speaking after his visit, CM Patel said the visit to the temple was a fortunate and emotional moment for him. The Chief Minister said that PM Modi's perseverance and commitment ensured the inauguration of the Ram temple.
CM Patel further said that the construction of the Ram temple is specially a proud occasion for the Gujarati community as the consecration of Ram Lalla was done in the presence of PM Modi.
To facilitate ease of travel for pilgrims from Gujarat visiting the temple, the Gujarat government has allocated Rs 10 crores in this year's budget for constructing the Gujarat Yatri Bhavan, the CM said.
The Yatri Bhavan will be constructed at a total cost of Rs 50 crores, he said.
He also thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for providing land for the Yatri Bhavan and the arrangements made to facilitate pilgrims visiting the holy city, particularly by the special Astha Train service from Gujarat.
The CM said the divine consecration of Ram Lalla in the ancient city of Ayodhya under the leadership of PM Modi marks the beginning of a new era in the country. He expressed confidence that the Ram temple would turn out to be a temple of vision, philosophy, and guidance for the country and help establish Ram Rajya in the coming years.
Speaking about the Ram temple movement and its subsequent conclusion, the Chief Minister said that it was the resolution of every Hindu that a grand Ram temple must be built at Ayodhya.
The dream of Hindus was fortunately fulfilled by PM Modi as he led the ground-breaking and consecration ceremony of the historic temple, he added.
The CM also expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court for removing the obstacles that had hindered the temple's construction for centuries. He credited the leadership of PM Modi for swiftly initiating the construction work by establishing the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra that worked tirelessly to ensure the temple consecration on January 22 this year.
The Chief Minister said that the resolution of the devotees across generations has been successfully realized under PM Modi's leadership.
After darshan, the Chief Minister presented the replica painting of the historical event of Shabri Mata and Lord Ram as a gift to the trustees of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Trust, a post on CM Patel's X mentioned.
Speaking to ANI after the visit, Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel said, "In the coming years, Ayodhya will not only become a centre of cultural heritage but it will also significantly contribute to the tourism sector in Uttar Pradesh and the country. Religious tourism is also developing in the country."
Earlier on February 20, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his cabinet colleagues visited Ayodhya to have a darshan of Ram Lalla.
CM Dhami along with his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Premchand Aggarwal, Subodh Uniyal, Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Rekha Arya and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal reached Jolly Grant Airport from where they left for Shri Ayodhya Dham.
Earlier, the Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on February 6, visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The delegation, comprising 70 people, including cabinet ministers, MLAs, and officials, was given a guard of honour at Maharishi Valmiki Airport upon their arrival.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya's historic temple was held on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the Vedic rituals, led by a group of priests.
—ANI