“On this sacred occasion, it is the duty of each one of us to take a pledge that just as we have restored this historic temple—a symbol of our ancient faith—so also would we put new life into the Temple of Prosperity of our people. …. In my view, the restoration of this temple of Somnath would not be complete on the day when a fine building would have been constructed on these foundations. It would be complete only when the temple of our prosperity—of which the temple of Somnath was but an external symbol has been erected”. – Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of Bharat, while speaking at the restoration of the Somnath temple on May 11, 1951
The ceremonial consecration of the sacred saffron flag – Dharma Dhwaj – at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir on November 25, 2025, on the auspicious occasion of Vivah Panchami, was the culmination of the historic movement for the liberation of the Ram Janmabhoomi. It was a sense of fulfilment for many with moist eyes. The saffron flag is a symbol of sacrifice, prosperity and marching ahead for the global good. The Pran Pratishtha was done on January 22, 2024, and the process of reclaiming the Ram Janmabhoomi was complete. The consecration of the flagstaff is a landmark in many respects, as the Agneya Purana explains.
The slow and magnificent rising of the saffron flag, symbol of Dharmic civilisation, amidst the Vedic chants, was the first manifestation of reverence. Sri Ram, the embodiment of Dharma on earth, has been the ideal of human existence for our civilisation. The entire country was showing veneration for our virtuous existence that has existed since time immemorial. That sense of fulfilment was not just about completing the temple but also about restoring the values of acceptance and respect for all ways of worship.
Along with devotion, the flag that was going up also reminded us of the resilience of our age-old civilisation. Ours is the only living civilisation that has survived the onslaught of a series of invasions, while many ancient civilisations have ceased to exist. The barbaric act of destroying the temple was meant to establish the religious supremacist ideology. Our civilisation’s resistance was against that violent, inhuman ideology of destruction. The consecration of the flag also means remembering those sacrifices and their strength amid all odds.
Ayodhya’s invincible flag, with original symbols, has been restored. The resolve to create a truthful, knowledgeable, egalitarian and industrious society with a model of governance for the world to emulate is being reignited, as was reminded by the first President of Bharat, Dr Rajendra Prasad, while dedicating the reconstructed Somnath mandir to the nation.
The flag is a symbol of Dharma (righteousness) and the values that ensure well-being for all. It is a guiding force for all of us to strive collectively for complete decolonisation and renationalisation. Without cultural decolonisation, unity, and the end of the ‘slave mentality’, we cannot realise our potential. By positioning the Ram mandir as the moral centre of a modern and developed Bharat, we have reconnected with the righteousness – the principles of Dharma.
The completion of the temple and the consecration of the flag at the top of the historic Mandir are not an end but a new beginning for realising the goal of Ram Rajya – the republic where spiritual and material, economic and environmental, individual and collective rights and duties are balanced. As both RSS Sarsaghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded us, we need to imbibe the values symbolised by Sri Ram and Ramayana. May Prabhu Sri Ram continue to give us the strength to nurture the roots of Dharma and eradicate Adharma!
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