Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 21 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday participated in a cleanliness drive under the Swachh Teerth Campaign at Eri Katha Ramar Temple in Madhuranthakam, Tamil Nadu.

"Nirmala Sitharaman participates in a cleanliness drive under the Swachh Teerth Campaign at Eri Katha Ramar Temple in Madhuranthakam, Tamil Nadu. Eri Katha Ramar Temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. It was built during the reign of the Pallava Kingdom and is one of the oldest temples of Lord Rama in South India," as per a post by the Nirmala Sitharaman Office on 'X'.

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"The temple has inscriptions from the Chola era which calls Rama with the name "Thiru Ayothi Peruman" signifying the link with Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a clarion call for conducting a nationwide drive to maintain the cleanliness of our temples from January 14 to January 21, 2024," they added.

Several senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers and Chief ministers of various states, have so far picked up the broom and mop across the country to participate in the cleanliness drive.

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Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleaned the premises of the Kalaram Temple in Maharashtra's Nashik as part of the Swachchata Abhiyan campaign. Visuals showed the Prime Minister with a mop and bucket mopping the floor of the temple.

BJP National President JP Nadda also cleaned the premises of Delhi's Pashupati Nath Temple in the Vishwas Nagar area.

The PM appealed to the people to carry out Swachhata activities (cleanliness drives) at temples across the country ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Delivering his inaugural address at the 27th National Youth Festival in Nashik, the Prime Minister reiterated his call for cleanliness campaigns, urging citizens to clean pilgrimage places and temples across the country on 'Pran Pratishtha' day of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.

The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya's temple will take place on Monday.

The idol of Lord Ram has been placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The idol of 'Ram Lalla' is carved by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj. The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha'; a team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals. Several celebrities and noted personalities have also been invited to the ceremony. (ANI)

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