Team India veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been invited to participate in the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony, scheduled to take place on January 22 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The invitation to this significant temple consecration event was extended to Ashwin at his Chennai home on Friday, January 19.
The invite was personally delivered to Ashwin by Tamil Nadu's BJP State Secretary Dr. SG Suryah and Vice-President Venkatraman C. A photograph capturing the moment Ashwin received the invitation has since gained considerable attention on social media platforms. The responsibility of dispatching invitations for this grand event, which expects over 6000 guests, lies with the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The list of invitees includes several renowned personalities from various fields, such as cricket and cinema.
Among other cricket celebrities, former India captain and World Cup winner MS Dhoni also received an invitation earlier this month. In addition, prominent cricket figures like Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma, as well as the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, have been invited, with Tendulkar receiving his invitation at his residence.
MS Dhoni, currently in Ranchi preparing for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, was invited by Dhananjay Singh, co-province secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and Karmaveer Singh, Jharkhand state Organization General Secretary of BJP, earlier in the week.
In the lead-up to the ceremony, on Friday, the Ram Lalla idol, a 51-inch figure crafted by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was installed in the temple's sanctum. The idol had arrived at the temple the previous day, marking an important moment in the series of rituals preceding the temple's consecration on Monday.
There is speculation about whether India's cricketers, particularly those in the Test squad, will be able to attend the Ram temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony. The Test regulars are scheduled to gather in Hyderabad by January 20 to start their preparation for an upcoming 5-Test series against England, which begins on January 25.
India is gearing up to host a 5-Test series on home soil for the first time in over five years, facing a formidable England team led by Ben Stokes. England has been preparing for this series with a training camp set up in the UAE.
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