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Glitz, rituals, song, dance and massive fireworks characterised the grand opening of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Temple in India.

Monday evening was the culmination of a three-day event for the Indian community as they celebrated what they described as resurrection of their god Shree Ram Mandir and also the opening of the temple, which they say ushered in a new era.

The pran pratishtha ceremony happened across the world, with Indians saying it will go down in history as an epic moment after years of struggle.

They said the temple was also resurrected after 500 years of struggle and that the Ram would finally take his throne at the grand temple.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led in opening the temple in India, which was built at Ayodha but demolished by protestors.

Indians also believed the site was the birthplace of their god Ram.

The BBC reports that the temple was constructed at a cost of $217m (£170m), funded from private donations and that only the ground floor was opened while the rest is to be completed by the end of the year.

In Kenya, the grand event was held at Parklands, where Nairobi West Hospital proprietor and trustee of the temple, Dr Umesh Saini was also installed as the chairman of Ram Mandir temple.

Historical event

“Today is a historical event and marks 500 years of struggle. We have managed to get the Ram Mandir,” said Saini.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria joined in the celebrations, even as he lauded the India community for taking a centre stage in the country, especially with industrialisation.

He said the Kenyan Government is a signatory of all the international conventions for preservation of culture and institutions of heritage – religious and cultural heritage.

The CS assured the Indian community that all religions in the country are important and represent human dignity.

“Your religion has teachings and it is an honour to join you in the ceremony that was taking all over the world.

“In Government, it is our belief that all religions are important and equal and represent part of human dignity so the restoration of the temple is in line with our beliefs that we can disagree about everything else but cannot disagree about the sanctity of our religious institutions,” the CS said.

He said the Indian community of Kenya has been part of the country’s history on various fronts and they have also been part of the country’s growth since independence.

“We have walked the journey of history, when we cried you cried of us, when we celebrated our independence, you celebrated with us and now the Indian community is at the centre of the struggles of the country.

“That is why today we are talking of Kenyans of Indian descent, one of the pillars of this country,” he explained.

He said the Government is facing the challenges of economic revival and industrialisation and urged the Indian community to be part of the solution for the country.

“We must have the Indian community and therefore I want to applaud the role that the Indian community plays especially in the area of industrialising this country,” Kuria added.