Ram mandir in Ayodhya: How many people visited on Day 1?

After the gates of the Ram Temple opened to the general public on Tuesday, a large crowd gathered, eager for Ram Lalla’s ‘first darshan’. They began queuing at the temple’s gates as early as 3 am. Some travelled as far as Odisha, while Ayodhya residents claim, “Ayodhya vasi hain. Pehla darshan humara hona chahiye (we are from Ayodhya; the first darshan should be ours),” a devotee told Indian Express. The weather remained cool, and the wait time to watch the new idol was around four to five hours. The larger-than-expected crowd prompted the administration to hold urgent meetings, and the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally paid a visit. He urged the crowd not to rush to pay obeisance. “Let the crowd calm down and then come to Ayodhya,” he told those present at the temple gates, as reported by the Indian Express. Around 8,000 security personnel have been deployed to manage the rush. But how many people visited Ayodhya on the day one of opening of Ram temple? Let’s take a closer look. Five lakh visitors and counting Around five lakh devotees visited the Ram temple complex on day one as it opened its doors to the public on Tuesday, a day after the consecration ceremony, according to officials. A massive crowd that swelled by the hour and became unmanageable in the afternoon thronged the main gateway to the Ram temple here as it opened its doors to the public. **In Images | The big moments from the Ram mandir consecration ceremony** Ram Path — the main thoroughfare — was choked as devotees flooded the streets of the temple town. The total footfall at the temple complex on day one was around five lakh, according to Director of Information (Uttar Pradesh government), Shishir. People began gathering at the Ram Janmabhoomi Path, which leads to the temple, as early as 3 am. These included both locals known as and pilgrims from all over the world. [caption id=“attachment_13649232” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Devotees wait in a queue to visit the Ram Mandir a day after it was opened for the public following the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, in Ayodhya. PTI[/caption] The entry into the temple complex was scheduled to begin at 7 am. However, by 6 am, the 566-metre-long Ram Janmabhoomi Path was completely packed, and pilgrims attempted to push their way inside. According to the Indian Express, given the large crowd, an exception was made and the first queue of barricades was removed around 6.30 am. Till 8.30 pm, about four lakh people likely visited the temple, Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal told PTI, adding that the figure stood at around 2.5 lakh at 2 pm. The last entry of visitors was at 10 pm. Around 8,000 policemen deployed to manage massive crowd As crowd began to build up at the temple complex, later in the evening, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial inspection of the temple site and the city, officials said. Adityanath, in a post on X, said, “Conducted an on-site inspection of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex in Ayodhya today. Necessary guidelines were also given to the officials to ensure easy and convenient darshan of Ram Lalla and to run all the necessary arrangements smoothly.” **Also Read: Ram Temple Opening: How spiritual tourism is booming in Ayodhya** He also visited the temple and held a discussion with the trust officials about the crowd management. Earlier in the day, waiting in serpentine queues outside the temple were people who had been camping in Ayodhya since before the consecration ceremony, having made long and difficult journeys to reach here. Ram Lalla’s idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Tuesday, ‘Ram dhun’ played in the streets as security personnel kept guard and sought to control the crowd. For a couple of hours in the afternoon, the crowd became so huge that the security personnel scrambled to maintain order. The entire section of the Ram Path, facing the gateway, was blocked as many devotees, some of whom landed with suitcases and backpacks, wanted to have a Ram Lalla’s ‘darshan’. [caption id=“attachment_13649082” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Devotees wait to take ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya. PTI[/caption] At the main gateway, the commotion in the crowd led to one devotee fainting and having to be taken for medical treatment. There was a “sudden massive rush” in the morning and the people were continuously streaming in, Dayal said. The administration is taking measures to keep the crowd in order, “with proper holding (area), queuing and barricading”, he added. Information Director Shishir said more than 8,000 policemen are deployed at the temple and “everything is under control”. Ayodhya police, in a post on X, also refuted rumours that the temple was temporarily closed due to the heavy rush. Security guards later made a semi-circular human fence to manage the crowd as other personnel made announcements on loudspeakers to keep order. ‘Felt so delighted’ Carrying flags bearing the visages of Lord Ram and chanting “Jai Shri Ram”, the devotees waited for hours in the biting cold before the doors of the grand temple opened early in the morning. “Felt so delighted, my life’s aim has been fulfilled. Our ancestors struggled for this and it has been brought to fruition,” Punjab resident Manish Verma said. **Also Read: 1.7 kg crown, 750 gm waist band: The 14 pieces of jewellery worn by Ram Lalla in Ayodhya** Nitish Kumar from Bihar’s Madhepura district, cycled more than 600 kilometres to reach Ayodhya. “There is a massive rush but I am hopeful I will get a chance to have ‘darshan’ today. I will start my journey back once my wish is fulfilled. Though I couldn’t go to the temple on Monday, what a day it was to be in Ayodhya,” he told PTI. Anurag Sharma from Rajasthan’s Sikar was seen walking around with a model of the temple on the day of the consecration ceremony. “I brought this model with me from my hometown. I arrived on the inaugural flight to Ayodhya and I have been here since then. I will go back only after having a ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla,” he told PTI. “Ram Lalla gave us the strength to walk from Chhattisgarh and now he only will get us through this crowd so we can take His blessings,” said Sunil Madho, part of an eight-member group that undertook a ‘padyatra’ to Ayodhya. Maharashtra native Gopal Krishna, who arrived in Ayodhya a few days ago, also jostled in the thick crowd as it moved towards the security check. “People were telling us to not travel as police would impose restrictions on travel and rooms would not be available in hotels. We are staying at an ashram and this is the day we waited for,” he told PTI. The temple complex, built in the traditional Nagara style, is 380-foot-long from the east to the west, 250 feet wide and will eventually rise to 161 feet at the ‘shikhar’. With inputs from PTI