Ayodhya, Jan 23 (PTI) A band of friends from Maharashtra, a trio from Kolkata and a saint couple from Odisha accompanied by their three-month-old langoor 'Bajrangbali' were among those who visited Ayodhya for the first time on Tuesday.

They all came with one goal in mind - "to have 'darshan' of Ram Lalla on day one of the opening of the Ram temple".

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The gates of the sprawling temple here were opened to the public in the morning, a day after the consecration ceremony.

Palash Thange and his friend Mayur Bhor, both wearing a special shirt printed with an image of the Ram temple and 'Jai Shri Ram' visited Hanumangarhi temple in the morning along with another friend from Maharashtra.

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"We came from Ahmednagar, and it is our first visit to Ayodhya. It's my dream to see the Ram temple and today we want to have 'darshan', but the crowd is huge," Thange told PTI.

The trio were enamoured by the decoration in the city, and concurred that they wanted to stay longer in the temple town.

"We have a very old temple of Lord Hanuman in our hometown. Coming to Ayodhya is a blessing," Bhor said.

On Tuesday, Ram Path -- the main thoroughfare -- was choked as devotees flooded the streets of the temple town, which has been gripped by religious fervour over the inauguration of the grand mandir.

The entry of devotees to the temple complex began at 6 am, and about 2.5 lakh people are likely to have visited the temple by 2 pm, Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal told PTI.

By afternoon, a massive crowd thronged the main gateway to the Ram temple complex causing some uneasy moments for the security personnel. The situation was later brought under control.

Many among the milling crowd came straight from stations or bus depots, carrying backpacks or suitcases in tow.

Suresh Kumar and his friend from Chhattisgarh, both first-timers, were among such devotees, who were eager to have a 'darshan'.

"We have come from Durg. We took a train to Kanpur, then a bus to Lucknow and another bus to Ayodhya, and reached here at 10.30 am today," he said while standing in a huge crowd outside the main gateway that faces the Birla Dharmashala along Ram Path.

The duo said they made a "sudden plan" to visit Ayodhya. "We have come just for the 'darshan', and will go back today," Kumar said.

'Ram dhun' and popular songs such as "Ram Aayenge" and "Awadh Mey Ram Aaein Hain" played in the streets as security personnel kept guard and sought to control the crowd even as many chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' and attempted to enter through the gateway in the afternoon.

Chatur Sagar, 70, and his wife Hirawati Sagar from Odisha also visited Ayodhya on Tuesday for the first time. The couple also had a special friend who accompanied them, a langoor.

"He (baby langoor) is just three-month-old and his name is 'Bajrangbali'. We have come to Ayodhya after visiting Mathura. Even if we die here, we will have no regrets," Hirawati told PTI.

Her husband, wearing a trident-shaped locket, showed pictures of him feeding a clowder of langoors, cows, dogs at his native village.

"Ayodhya is Prabhu Shri Ram's 'nagari' (town)...we have come to seek his blessings," Chatur, a sadhu, said.

The streets of Ayodhya wore a 'mela-like' look, as 'bhandaras' (community kitchens) were served while Maharashtrian 'faita' (headgear) was being sold for Rs 100 a piece by a group of people from Pune.

Many devotees were seen wearing the headgear.

"We have brought 500 'faitas' especially for the artistes who will play drums in Ayodhya soon," said Siddhesh Tekare.

Saffron was the dominating colour on Ram Path, and several locals and visitors sported clothes or accessories bearing that colour or chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'.

Three office colleagues from Kolkata visited Ayodhya for the first time as well. They were wearing matching saffron 'kurta' paired with a white pyjama, and a religious 'patka' (scarf bearing name of Lord Ram).

Dipak Shukla, 39, and Shubham Chaurasia, 31, and Nilmoni Mukherjee, 42 -- from Kolkata were feeling ecstatic to be in the holy city.

"Today is the first day of the opening of the temple, and we wanted to witness this. We travelled by train from Kolkata to Lucknow and then by road to reach Ayodhya today. We are feeling extremely happy to be here," Shukla said.

He proudly showed the saffron flag bearing the images of Lord Ram and the temple, and said, "I am taking this home".

Mukherjee said his presence in Ayodhya has created a buzz in his family back home.

"They keep asking on phone whether I had 'darshan', how is the temple, and they want us to show on video call how the developed Ayodhya looks now. Ayodhya is being talked about just as the new Ram temple," he told PTI.

A new idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)