Yesterday was a symbolic day, as at 1.28, the 'auspicious' hour ordained by the priests, the 51-inch-tall idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Arun Yogiraj, was installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple amid chanting of hymns.

The first photo of the idol - made in black stone - depicts the deity as a five-year-old child in a standing posture.

The face of the 51-inch idol was covered with a veil.

Present at the ceremony were members of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust including Anil Mishra, Champat Rai and Swami Govind Giri.

An eyewitness said that given the idol's 200-kg weight and the restricted space for movement in the sanctum sanctorum, the installation was supervised by a team of engineers, as reported by IndianExpress.

The idol was draped with wet cloth as part of the 'Jaladhivas' ritual and then covered in a special paste made of Chandan and Kesar as part of 'Gandhadhivas' ritual.

In parallel, rituals have started on the old idol as well, which is being referred to as 'Rajat' or 'Utsav' idol.

After the idol was installed, the sanctorum was cleaned and covered with a curtain. Only the Acharya performing the puja along with the 'Yajman' will be allowed access to perform a series of rituals: starting with Ganesh Ambika Pujan, Varun Pujan and the Vastu Pujan.

The 'mandap' was also prepared to set the stage for the 'hawan' which begins Friday in the run-up to the consecration on January 22.