This decision allows devotees across the country to actively participate in prayers organised to mark the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in India.

Port Louis: Mauritius government has announced two-hour break for employees from Hindu faith to participate in prayers of Pran Prathishta of Ram Mandir on January 22. The Mauritian Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, on Friday, issued an official statement that read, “(The) Cabinet has agreed to the grant of a one-off special leave of two hours on Monday 22 January 2024 as from 1400 hours to public officers of Hindu faith, subject to exigencies of service, in the context of the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in India, which is a landmark event as it symbolises the return of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the ceremonial installation of the idol of Shri Ram Lalla inside the sanctum sanctorum of the grand temple on January 22. A host of leaders and dignitaries from all walks of life have been invited to the grand temple opening in Ayodhya.

According to temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting January 16. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22.

US preparing week-long celebrations

Meanwhile, temples across the US are preparing week-long celebrations in North America to commemorate the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, a top official representing these temples has said.

“It’s our fortune and blessings to us that we are part of this phenomenon and the temple of our dreams is getting materialised after centuries of wait and struggle. Everyone’s emotions in the US and Canada are very high. Shraddha (devotion) is built up and everyone is eagerly waiting to receive Bhagwan Shri Ram in his mandir,” Tejal Shah from the Hindu Mandirs Empowerment Council (HMEC) told PTI on Monday.

Hindu Mandirs Empowerment Council (HMEC) is the apex body of more than 1,100 Hindu Temples in the United States.

The week-long celebrations across small and big temples in North America, she said, will kick off on January 15 and culminate in the live telecast of the Ram Temple inauguration from Ayodhya on the night of January 20, she said.