A look at PM Modi's special bond with Ayodhya

Lucknow, Oct 23: In a first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start the Deepotsav celebrations in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on Sunday. Diwali, the festival of lights marks the victory of good over evil. The festival also marks the return of Lord Rama to his home, Ayodhya.

This year's Diwali in Ayodhya promises to be the grandest as this is PM Modi's first visit to Ayodhya after he laid the foundation stone for the temple in 2020.

As Prime Minister PM Modi participates in the Ayodhya Deepotsav, it is a good time to recall his special bond with Bhagwan Shri Ram and the ancient city of the deity that is Ayodhya.

In a series of Tweets, a Twitter handle Modi Archive has detailed PM Modi's association with Ayodhya.

The 500-year-old Ram Mandir movement, and Modi's personal journey of devotion, culminated on 5th August 2020. The foundation stone for Bhagwaan Sri Ram's Temple in Ayodhya was laid by Modi.

Somnath-Ayodhya Ram Rath Yatra began on 25th Sep'1990. Then Gujarat BJP's General Secretary, Modi was the charioteer for the Gujarat leg of the Yatra.

At Kashmir's Lal Chowk, Modi raised the tricolor, culminating the Ekta Yatra on 26th January 1992.

Just days earlier, on 14th January, soon after seeking Bhagwaan Sri Ram's blessings in Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi, Modi vowed "I'll only return when Ram Mandir construction begins"!

PM Modi's personal effects contain an insightful handwritten note, a poem dedicated to Bhagwaan Sri Ram.

The poetry is written on the letterhead of the BJP Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1998, Mauritius hosted the 'International Ramayana Conference'. Narendra Modi was invited to attend the conference in Moka.

PM Modi spoke with great zeal about the life of Bhagwaan Sri Ram, leaving a lasting impression on those in attendance.