Thousands clad in saffron danced in the streets waving saffron flags, rangolis were made and temples were lit up with diyas as people gathered to recite hymns and devotional songs about the Hindu god Ram across the country since early morning on Monday.

Diwali-like celebrations were held in cities, towns and villages in most states as the country marked the day the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya was thrown open following a consecration ceremony of the idol of the child god or Ram Lalla led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While central government and most states announced a half-day, till 2.30pm, others like Maharashtra declared a public holiday to mark the occasion. Some states such as Uttar Pradesh declared a ‘dry day’ and prohibited the sale of meat dishes for the day.

People flocked to various temples to offer prayers, organised ‘havans’ and community feasts and took out colourful processions through the streets.

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In Delhi, people held Sundarkand recitals, took out rallies and organised ‘bhandara’ as posters of Lord Ram and saffron flags with the deity’s picture dotted the city, devotional songs blared through loudspeakers and special screens provided a live telecast of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party organised ‘shobha yatras’ and ‘bhandaras’ in different parts of the city, and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his cabinet colleagues and AAP MLAs took part in various religious events. “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on this sacred occasion of the installation of Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram in the grand temple. Hail Siya Ram,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who visited a Shiva temple in Delhi, described the event in Ayodhya as a “revolutionary work” and said those who witnessed this moment are fortunate.

Several temples and gurdwara committees across Punjab held similar celebrations and organised langars to mark the opening of the temple in Ayodhya. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal engaged in ‘seva’ and served food at a langar (community feast) organised in Amritsar. Governor Banwari Lal Purohit organised a bhandara and live streaming of the ceremony.

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In Jammu, thousands of people flocked to the Raghunath temple. “The people of Jammu have a lot of faith in Lord Ram. It is called a city of temples, so the people here are very excited. In every house and at every square, you will see the flags dedicated to Lord Ram,” Sanjay Chandel, a devotee, said.

In Katra, the Mata Vaishnodevi Temple was decked with decorations and hundreds of devotees offered prayers at the cave shrine amid tight security.

In Uttarakhand, a special aarti was performed at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar. The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, which manages over 50 temples in the state, organised events at several locations.

In Himachal Pradesh, a ‘Kar Sevak Samman’ ceremony — honouring volunteers who worked on the temple — was organised at Gaiety Theatre in Shimla. Former chief minister and leader of the opposition, Jairam Thakur, attended the event and paid tributes to the volunteers who lost their lives during the Ram Mandir movement. “It is due to the sacrifices of lakhs of people that participated in the Ram Mandir movement that this auspicious day has arrived today,” he said.

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Rajasthan was also in a festive mood as temples and houses were decked up with flowers, saffron flags and lights while people exchanged wishes on the occasion. Chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma offered prayers at Dehlawas Balaji temple in Jaipur. He also paid obeisance at Salasar Balaji temple in Churu and Khatu Shyamji temple in Sikar later in the day.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla participated in a ‘Ram Lalla Shubhagaman Padyatra’ in Kota. “For years, we were waiting for the construction of the (Ram) temple and installation of Lord Ram’s idol in Ayodhya. Today, we have witnessed that golden and historic moment,” he said.

In Jaisalmer, BSF soldiers recited Ramayana at Tanot Mata Temple on the India-Pakistan border while in Sikar, members of the Muslim community showered flower petals at a rally taken out by Hindu devotees to mark the consecration ceremony.

In Karnal, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the pledge to build the Ram temple has been fulfilled. “Sougandh hamari poori hui, mandir wahi banaya hai,” he said.

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To mark the event, people in Gujarat burst crackers, played Garba, and held prayer meetings in residential societies. Devotees thronged Jamnagar’s Bala Hanuman temple, known for its continuous recitation of Ram Dhuns for over 50 years, in large numbers while youngsters held rallies with saffron flags and chanted ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee commenced the day by offering prayers at the Kalighat temple in south Kolkata. She then embarked on a symbolic journey of religious harmony and led an all-faith rally that included visits to diverse places of worship, such as a temple, mosque, church, and gurdwara. The opposition BJP had moved the Calcutta high court against this planned rally of the chief minister during the day, but in vain.

Artists in Odisha’s Berhampur crafted miniature replicas of the Ram Temple and Ram Lalla idol, using wood, chalks and stones. A massive procession by devotees was also taken out at Silk City.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the idol consecration ceremony is a historic moment and a matter of pride not only for the country, but for the entire world.

In Jharkhand, special prayers were organised at more than 51,000 temples across the state. A massive rangoli of Lord Ram measuring 18,500 sqft was inaugurated by Union tribal affairs and agriculture minister Arjun Munda on the premises of Sri Laxmi Narayan Temple at Cable Town in Golmuri in Jamshedpur.

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Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav attended the “Bhasma aarti” at Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and announced that he and his council of ministers will visit the Ram Temple this week. As many as 5,100 earthen lamps were lit at Ram Raja Sarkar Temple in Orchha, where former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan participated in a cleanliness drive.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde celebrated the consecration ceremony by playing ‘dhol’ along with his party workers in Thane. Over a million ‘laddoos’ were distributed in a function in Amravati. “Today is a historic day for India. We have emerged from the shadows of slavery. This celebration is a testament to our unity and strength as nation,” former deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

People across Andhra Pradesh celebrated the consecration ceremony by watching the rituals live on television, hoisting the saffron flag atop their homes, organising rallies, community banquets and other activities. In Tirumala’s Dharmagiri Veda Vignana Peetham, a school for study and promotion of vedic knowledge, a recitation programme of ‘Valmiki Ramayana’ was held in honour of the construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

In Karnataka, saffron festoons, flags with images of Ram, Hanuman, Sita and Lakshman and posters welcoming the arrival of Ram to his birth place dotted several nooks and corners in Karnataka. There was a huge turnout of devotees at Ram and Hanuman temples, besides Lord Venkateshwara temples, since morning. Special prayers were held in Bengaluru at Ramanjaneya Gudda temple, Pattabhirama Swamy Temple, Ram temple in Rajajinagar and Ramadevara Devasthana at Malleswaram and Ram temple in Basavanagudi.

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Former chief minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa called the consecration ceremony a “very auspicious moment” that crores of people had been waiting for.

In Kerala, rituals at the Triprayar Sree Ramaswamy temple in Thrissur district were performed from early morning. Situated on the bank of the Karuvannur or Theevra river, it is dedicated to Lord Ram. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan offered prayers at the Ramadevi Temple in Vazhuthacaud in the state capital.

The historic day was celebrated in the northeast as well.

Temples and ‘namghars’ (community prayer halls) were lit up with earthen lamps and lights in the evening even as processions were taken out across Assam through the day.

Arunachal Pradesh also soaked in religious fervour. In capital Itanagar, markets were closed voluntarily and a large number of private schools also declared a holiday.

Tripura chief minister Manik Saha performed yagna at Durga Bari Temple in Agartala and in Nagaland, governor La Ganesan offered prayers at a temple in Kohima.