Ayodhya is gripped with a religious fervor as the long-awaited Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla took place in the sanctum sanctorum of the newly constructed Ram Mandir on Monday.

The sacred ceremony, which was presided over by "main yajman" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was performed during the auspicious moment of Mool Muhurat on Monday.

The ceremony began at 12:20 pm and ended at around 1 pm. There were around 7,000 VVIPs from across the nation including actors, politicians, sportspersons, industrialists and others.

Ahead of the ceremony, PM Modi followed a strict 11-day Anushthan ahead of the ceremony and the special ritual included sleeping on the floor and drinking only coconut water.

He also visited several temples across India, ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony and took a holy dip at the Rameswaram 'Angi theerth' beach.

He is also slated to address a public event after the conclusion of the ceremony at Ayodhya at around 1 pm.

Renowned vocalist Sonu Nigam performed excerpts from the Ramcharitmanas before the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

He received praise for his performance of 'Raghukul reet sada chali aayi,' and the saints, in particular, were observed clapping in rhythm.

Sonu created a spiritual atmosphere for the occasion and concluded his act with the chant Jai Shri Ram.

Anuradha Paudwal and Shankar Mahadevan also delighted the crowd with their spiritual performances.