Indore, Jan 14 : The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday said the consecration date of the Ram temple in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) should be celebrated as 'pratishtha diwas'.

The RSS chief said that Ram Mandir wasn't an aandolan (movement) but a 'yagya' for the Hindu community. He said that the temple should have been built much earlier but it was delayed due to some forces.

Bhagwat stated that the Ram temple movement wasn't started to oppose anyone but it was started to awaken the 'self' of Bharat so that the country could stand on its own feet and show the path to the world.

An idol of Lord Ram was consecrated at the grand Ayodhya temple on January 22, 2024, in a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bhagwat pointed out there was no discord in the country during the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya last year. He made the statement while after presenting the National Devi Ahilya Award to Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, in Indore on Monday.

After receiving the award, Rai declared he is dedicating this honour to all known and unknown people of the Ram Mandir movement who helped in building the grand Ram temple in the Uttar Pradesh town.

Referring to different phases of struggles faced by the movement, Rai said the temple was a symbol of "Hindustan ki Moonchh (moustache)" (the national pride) and he was just a medium for its construction.

The prestigious award is given every year by the Indore-based social organization, 'Shri Ahilyotsav Samiti', to prominent persons in recognition of their contribution in different social spheres.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who is the president of this organisation, addressing on this occasion, said a grand memorial dedicated to Devi Ahilyabai will be built in the city so that people become familiar with her life character. Over the years, the National Devi Ahilya Award has been given to well-known personalities like Nanaji Deshmukh, Vijaya Raje Scindia, Raghunath Anant Mashelkar and Sudha Murty.

/IANS