International Desk:
The live telecast of the Ram temple event in Ayodhya on August 5 was widely watched across the world. It was broadcast by television stations in UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal and several other countries.

The main signal was generated by public broadcaster Doordarshan which placed multiple cameras, Outside Broadcasting (OB), and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) vans for elaborate production and live telecast.

People also watched the event on YouTube streams. The highest viewership came USA, UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Mauritius, according to public broadcaster Doordarshan.

In India, over 200 channels took the event, it further said.

The signal of the event was distributed through news agency Asian News International (ANI) to about 1200 stations and by Associated Press Television News (APTN) to 450 media houses across the world. Doordarshan’s news arm DD News separately shared visuals with Asia Pacific countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ‘bhoomi poojan’ in Ayodhya for the Ram temple, bringing to fruition the BJP’s ‘mandir’ movement that defined its politics for three decades.

Amid the chanting of shlokas, PM Modi consecrated the very first bricks for the temple at the spot where devotees believe Lord Ram was born.

“The wait of centuries has ended,” he said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony made possible by a Supreme Court verdict last year that allowed the construction of the temple at the site where the Babri mosque was demolished by kar sevaks in 1992.

President Ram Nath Kovind said the event defines India’s spirit of social harmony and people’s zeal, while Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said the construction of the Ram temple is much more than a religious affair and the structure will stand as a tribute to the best of timeless human values.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the Uttar Pradesh city on Wednesday morning. The road leading from Hanuman Garhi temple to the ceremony site (Ram Janmabhoomi) wore an illuminated look in the evening, with several earthen lamps lit outside shops, houses and guest houses.

Some people also celebrated by bursting firecrakers in the temple town.

It was in 1990 that then BJP president Lal Krishna Advani embarked on the Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya to galvanise support for the temple, according to ht reports.