PM to unfurl special saffron flag atop Ram Temple on November 25

Ayodhya: Ayodhya is preparing for a landmark moment as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl a specially designed saffron flag atop the Ram Temple on November 25. The ceremony will take place during the Abhijit Muhurat between 12 noon and 12.30 pm, with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also in attendance. The system has been engineered so that the flag will rise and begin fluttering in the air within ten seconds of the button being pressed.

The flag carries symbols of Surya, Om and the Kovidar tree, the royal tree of Ayodhya associated with the Suryavansh. Vedic chants will accompany the ceremony, and the temple complex will echo with the sound of bells once the flag is unfurled.

A 42-foot-high mast has been erected on the 161-foot temple shikhar to hold the flag, which measures 22 feet by 11 feet and is designed to be visible from three kilometres away. An automatic hoisting mechanism has been installed for both unfurling and lowering the flag. The trust has not yet specified how frequently the flag will be replaced, though it will be able to rotate fully with the wind.

This will also be the first time the Ram Temple hosts the Ram-Sita Vivah festival. Around 8,000 people are expected to attend, with tent accommodation being set up for 2,500 visitors in Teerth Puram. Due to the Prime Minister’s visit, devotees will not be allowed darshan on November 25 and can visit only from November 26.

The PM’s visit is scheduled for three hours. He will begin with prayers at Hanumangarhi before offering worship at the sanctum of Ram Lalla. After unfurling the flag, he is likely to visit the Sapt Mandir Parikota, Sheshavatar Temple and mural displays of the Ramayana. He may also meet engineers and workers involved in the temple’s construction, for whom a dedicated enclosure has been prepared behind the Annapurna Temple.

The flag, made in Ahmedabad, has been crafted from specially treated nylon parachute fabric designed to withstand heat, rain and high winds. Its synthetic double-coated layer reduces moisture absorption and temperature impact, ensuring durability. The trust has clarified that the automatic system will allow the flag to be replaced easily from the control room without priests climbing the shikhar, though the schedule for replacement is yet to be finalised.

Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Misra said the Abhijit Muhurat had been chosen because it marks the time associated with the birth of Lord Ram and is considered highly auspicious for rituals connected to him. Rituals for flag worship in various temples within the complex began on November 21, with designated yajmans staying on the premises until the main ceremony.

The Ram-Sita Vivah event will also see participation from Janakpur in Nepal. Senior leaders including Mohan Bhagwat and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are expected to attend. More than 5,000 rooms have been arranged for guests arriving from across India and abroad, with 1,600 of them reserved by the Ram Temple Trust to ensure smooth arrangements.

A large tent city with capacity for 1,600 guests is being readied in Teerth Kshetra Puram. Food and prasad counters have been set up at seven locations, and several large LED screens will display the ceremonies. The trust is preparing 500 kg of laddoos to be offered first to Ram Lalla and then distributed as prasad to attendees.