“Ayodhya is greater than  Davos !” Paytm chief Vijay Shekhar Sharma quipped on X as someone pointed out how business leaders were arriving at the temple town straight from  Davos.

Certainly, the who’s who of India Inc and big names from the start-up world were in evidence at Ayodhya to join in the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani with his wife Nita, son Akash and daughter-in-law Shloka Mehta, steel baron Lakshmi N  Mittal, telecom chieftain Sunil Bharti Mittal, Aditya Birla group Chairperson Kumar Mangalam Birla and his daughter Ananya Birla, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu with his mother Janaki, his brother Kumar and sister-in-law Anu, were among the corporate clan in Ayodhya.

The mood among the gathered industrialists was one of piety and a sense of being part of a historic occasion. Mukesh   Ambani’s  home in Mumbai, Antilla, was decked up for the occasion, with lights and banners and holograms of Jai Shri  Ram all across the 27-storey building. Arriving in  Ayodhya  to attend the Pran Pratishtha, Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm  Ltd told a media channel, “This day will be written in the pages of history, we are happy to be here.”

“Namaste, is  saal  diwali do  baar aa rahi hai ,” said  Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal in a video post from Ayodhya. Dressed in a saffron kurta, Agarwal who flew into Ayodhya after a visit to Puri Jagannath, shared a series of impressionistic posts giving the colour and flavour of the town. “The energy here is infectious - this is truly a historic moment! Chants and prayers can be heard as devotees stream in,” he posted.

Shri Ram temple celebrations. Madras High Court: No permission needed for private bhajans, annadanam; emphasises harmony

Bevy of honchos

Vedanta Resources’ Chairman Anil Agarwal, Adani group Chairman Gautam Adani, and Jindal Steel and Power Chairman Naveen Jindal were all spotted at the event. Gautam Adani posted, “On this auspicious day, as the Ayodhya Mandir’s doors open, let it be a gateway to enlightenment and peace, binding the communities with the timeless threads of Bharat’s spiritual and cultural harmony.”

Prashant Ruia, Director of Essar Capital, posted on X, “…A turning point in our history that has reunified the country in our dreams, desires, hopes and aspirations.” Former HUL chief  Sanjiv Mehta  and his wife were spotted at the event as were the  Ellas  of Bharat Biotech.

Raymond chief Gautam Singhania  posted several pictures from the event, describing how he caught up with friends Amitabh Bachchan  and Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Ambani  and Lakshmi  Mittal” at the event.

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