Ayodhya (UP):  Thousands of devotees from across the country thronged the Ram temple here on Wednesday, the first anniversary of consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol at the shrine as per gregorian calendar.

On January 22 last year, the idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at the newly-built temple, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Wednesday, the sacred chants of “Jai Shri Ram” filled the air as devotees continued to visit the temple till late evening for the ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram amidst robust security arrangements, officials said.

Earlier, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust celebrated the anniversary of the consecration ceremony from January 11 to 13. Trust chief Champat Rai had said that January 11 marks the one year of the establishment of the newly-built temple at Ayodhya Dham.

During that time as well, lakhs of devotees had visited Ayodhya for Lord Ram’s darshan.

On Wednesday, thousands of devotees arrived, the officials said.

The district administration worked diligently to ensure a seamless experience.

At Hanumangarhi temple too, devotees lined up for darshan with queues stretching over a kilometer.

At Maniramdas Chhawani, a ‘Rath Yatra’ was taken out in the morning, marking the beginning of a 41-day ritual. This includes chanting over 1.25 lakh ‘Shri Ram Rakshasrot’ as part of the religious observance.

A large number of devotees flocked to Ayodhya to have darshan of Ram Lalla to relive the moment they experienced on January 22 last year, the officials said.

Anticipating the heavy turnout, the Trust had made special arrangements.

Since early morning, the area around the Ram Mandir resonated with devotional chants.

Satyendra Das, chief priest at the Ram temple, said that while the first anniversary was celebrated according to the Hindi calendar on January 11 (Dwadashi), many devotees arrived on January 22 as per the gregorian calendar.

Hotels and dharamshalas were fully booked in advance, the officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Rajkaran Nair said that extensive security arrangements have been made, with the city divided into six zones and 17 sectors for effective management.

Vijayalakshmi, a devotee from Rajasthan, expressed her joy, saying, “With the blessings of Balaji there and Ram Lalla here, we had a wonderful darshan.” She added that her group of 17 people entered Ram Mandir while reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. “After about 500 years, Ayodhya has regained its glory.”