The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across the country

Army helicopters showered flower petals on the newly constructed Janmabhoomi temple as the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony took place - a seminal occasion in India's political and religious history.

At that moment, celebrations broke out in parts of this Uttar Pradesh temple town with people singing and dancing. Our Ram has come, Modi said in his address that followed the consecration, which also marks the inauguration of the temple. It is expected to open Tuesday to the public.

"The extraordinary moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lalla's life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine programme. Hail Siya Ram!" he tweeted earlier.

He performed a series of rituals at the temple, with the 'pran pratishtha' taking place during the 84-second 'Abhijeet muhurta'. At the end of the rituals, the PM prostrated himself before the idol, which depicts the child Ram.

Leaving the sanctum sanctorum, the PM moved to another location to address a gathering of about 8,000, which included seers, people linked to Ram Janmabhoomi movement and celebrities from fields like entertainment, sports and industry.

The PM ended his 11-day fast he undertook ahead of the ceremony by accepting "charnamrit" offered by temple trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri.

The run-up to the consecration ceremony, which takes place just months before the Lok Sabha elections, was marked by sparring between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.

Top Opposition leaders skipped the temple inauguration, calling it an RSS-BJP event. But Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is the son of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, arrived at the venue.