AYODHYA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hoisted the Dharma Dhwaj (sacred flag) atop the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, marking its formal completion. Calling it a moment of healing for “the wounds of centuries” and an answer to the prayers of lakhs of devotees, he said saffron flag hoisted atop the spire of the temple was not just a flag but a symbol of India’s cultural renaissance.

Reflecting on the significance of the event, he said: “Centuries of wounds are healing, centuries of pain is finally finding a comfort. That unwavering resolve of 500 years is attaining its ultimate fulfilment as the flag fluttering atop the temple would proclaim the ideals of Lord Ram for centuries to come.” Striking an emotional chord with the gathering, he said it was the final oblation in the yajna which had kept alive with the flame of faith, tears, prayers, and unyielding belief of countless saints and commoners alike.

Modi, flanked by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, member of temple trust Swami Govind Devi Giri, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, also used the occasion to outline the roadmap for a developed India by 2047 saying the country must break free from ‘slave mentality’. Questioning the influence of the education system introduced by Thomas Babington Macaulay in 1835, he accused him of pushing Western sciences and literature over traditional Indian subjects.