Ayodhya's Historic Flag Ceremony: Why Spiritual Leaders Call It 'Exemplary for World'

Speaking to ANI, Totadri Math Jagadguru Swami Anantacharya said the ceremony carried deep symbolic meaning for the country, emphasising how the flag signals sanctity and purpose from afar.

"It is exemplary for the world. The flag gives the information that this is a temple, it is a religious place, it gives the information from a distance. The flag holds the head high above all else, that is why the flag is hoisted at temples or on auspicious occasions and good deeds. Completion is the law of the universe. Good things will be even better. It will be the best of the best. It will be for everyone. It will be in the interest of the country. It will be in the interest of everyone. This is the objective," he said.

Sculptor Prashant Pandey, who created the idols for the Ram Darbar, described the ceremony as an overwhelming personal moment. "It is our eyes and heart which see things, I can't express in words the joy in my heart. We have been blessed with this good fortune. My soul is full today," he said.

On November 22, Indologist Lalit Mishra, who researched the historical design of the flag, highlighted its journey back to Ayodhya. He recalled tracing the emblem through the Mewar pictorial Ramayana and references in the Ayodhya Kand of Valmiki Ramayana.

"This flag was discovered unintentionally. I saw Ayodhya's flag in one of the paintings of the pictorial Ramayana of Mewar. I found the reference to this flag in Valmiki Ramayana's Ayodhya Kand. The tree on the flag is a hybrid of the Mandar and Parijat trees, created by Rishi Kashyap, which could have been one of the earliest experiments in plant hybridisation," he said.

He added that establishing the identity of ancient trees mentioned in texts posed challenges. "I faced a difficult time in establishing the identity of the Kovidar and Kachnar tree as both had the same biological name. I am glad the flag is back to the place it originated from after such a long time."

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India and the world are "Ram-may", as he described the installation of the Dharma Dhwaja atop the Ram Temple as a moment that heals "wounds of centuries" and marks the fulfilment of a civilisational resolve kept alive for 500 years.

Addressing the gathering at the 'Dwajarohan' ceremony, PM Modi said, "Today, the entire India and the world is Ram-may. There is extraordinary satisfaction in the heart of every Ram devotee. There is boundless gratitude. There is unfathomable supernatural bliss. The wounds of centuries are being healed. The pain of centuries is being put to rest today. The resolve of centuries is being fulfilled today. Today is the completion of that sacrifice whose fire remained lit for 500 years..."

He added that the Dharma Dhwaja, established at the shikhar of the Grand Ram Temple, carries profound symbolic significance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat ceremonially hoisted the saffron flag atop the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple's 191-foot-high shikhar in Ayodhya, symbolising the completion of the temple's construction.

- ANI