Ayodhya, Nov. 26 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hoisted the saffron 'dharma dhwaj' flag atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya and marked the formal completion of the project, proclaiming that the "wounds and pain of centuries" were healing as a 500-year-old resolve was finally fulfilled. In the presence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Modi hoisted the flag by rotating a lever amid slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" from the 8,000-strong crowd comprising seers, public representatives and other invitees. Later in the day in Haryana's Kurukshetra town, the PM also spoke about the road map for a Viksit Bharat (developed India) and said Operation Sindoor showed the world that while India desires peace, it never compromises on its security or bows before terrorism, as he addressed a special programme to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. "Centuries of wounds are healing. Centuries of pain is finally being put to rest. Centuries of resolve is being fulfilled. Today marks the final offering of that yajna, whose fire burned for 500 years. A yajna that never wavered in faith, never wavered in belief," an emotional Modi said at the event also attended by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and governor Anandiben Patel. "Today, the energy of the Lord's sanctum sanctorum, this dharma dhwaj, is not just a flag; It is the banner of the renaissance of Indian civilisation. Its saffron colour, the fame of Suryavansh etched on it, the inscribed word Om, and the embossed Kovidar tree symbolise the glory of Ram Rajya," the prime minister said. Roughly five years after he conducted the foundation-laying ceremony for the temple, Modi operated an electronic lever clockwise to hoist the 11 x 22 feet flag atop the Ram temple. Modi stood in reverence with folded hands as the four-kg flag gradually started going up on a nylon rope towards the temple's spire. Priests standing next to Modi recited Vedic hymns till the flag reached its destination. As the flag completed its ascent around noon, temples across Ayodhya celebrated by ringing bells and blowing conch shells. "This flag is a resolution, this flag is success, the saga of creation through struggle, the embodiment of a struggle that has been ongoing for centuries, the meaningful culmination of the spiritual practice of saints and the participation of society," Modi said. "Today, Ayodhya is witness to yet another pinnacle of India's cultural consciousness." The ceremony marked the culmination of the construction of the Ram Temple, turning the page on a decades-long fractious dispute and fulfilling one of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) core electoral promises. Built in the traditional Nagara style of architecture with intricate carvings of deities adorning its white marble walls, the temple spans 380 feet in length and 250 feet in width, with its tallest spire at 161 feet. Supported by 392 columns and accessible through 44 doors, the temple is built on the 2.77-acre plot which Hindus believe to be the birthplace of Lord Ram and which was locked away behind the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute for 150 years, before the Supreme Court's landmark verdict in 2019. Modi began his speech by proclaiming, "Jai Siyavar Ram Chandra, Jai Siyavar Ram Chandra, Jai Siyaram." "Today, all of India and the entire world is filled with Ram. There is unparalleled satisfaction in the hearts of Ram devotees. There is immense joy...This flag will proclaim the ideals of Lord Ram for centuries to come," he said. In his 33-minute speech, Modi spoke about the importance of Lord Ram in Viksit Bharat (developed India), attacked Thomas Macaulay's education policy in colonial India, and urged Indians to expunge the mindset of slavery. "If India is to become developed by the year 2047 and if society is to be empowered, then we must awaken "Ram" within ourselves. For the nation to move forward, it must take pride in its heritage," he said. "To accelerate the journey towards Viksit Bharat, we need a chariot whose wheels are valour and patience, whose flag is truth and supreme conduct, whose horses are strength, prudence, restraint, and philanthropy, and whose reins are forgiveness, compassion, and equanimity," Modi added. The PM also attacked those who say that the country's constitution was adopted from foreign countries and those who "praise everything of foreign origin". "We became obsessed with the idea that foreign things are good, while our own are flawed. This is the mentality of slavery. "It is being stated that we adopted democracy from foreign countries, and our Constitution is also inspired by foreign ones. The reality is that India is the mother of democracy," he said. He took particular aim at Macaulay, who in 1835 advocated for English to be the medium of instruction and prioritised Western sciences and literature over traditional Indian subjects. Modi said Macaulay laid the foundation of mental slavery. "Ten years from now, in 2035, the bicentenary of that unholy event will be completed...In the next 10 years, we will free India from the mentality of slavery. The impact of Macaulay's vision was widespread. We gained independence, but we did not overcome the inferiority complex," he said. "We became obsessed with the idea that foreign things are good, while our own are flawed. This is the mentality of slavery," he said. He said that a thousand-year-old inscription in a village in Tamil Nadu described how the government was elected and how governance was conducted. "But due to the mentality of slavery, generations of Indians were deprived of this information. The mentality of slavery has taken root in every corner," he said....