AYODHYA: The new idol of Lord Ram was placed Thursday afternoon in the sanctum sanctorum of Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple, ahead of the consecration ceremony set to take place on January 22.

The 51-inch Ram Lalla idol, sculpted by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, was brought to the temple the previous night.

On Thursday afternoon, it was placed in the grabha griha, Arun Dixit, a priest associated with the consecration ceremony, told PTI.

This was done amid the chanting of prayers, according to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the January 22 'pran pratishtha' ceremony at the temple, which is expected to be opened to the public the next day.

Rituals leading up the consecration ceremony have already begun at the temple, constructed at what many devout believe marks the spot where Lord Ram was born.

In 1992, kar sevaks demolished the Babri Masjid that stood there.

A historic Supreme Court judgment in 2019 on the temple-mosque dispute paved the way for the construction of the temple.