Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya brought crores of people together and asserted that the collective strength of the country was visible around the time of the event.

In the first Mann Ki Baat broadcast of this year, Modi said the governance of Lord Ram was a source of inspiration for Constitution makers.

"And that is why on January 22 in Ayodhya I had talked about 'Dev to Desh' and 'Ram to Rashtra'," he said.

The consecration ceremony in Ayodhya has brought crores of people of the country together, he said.

"Everyone's feeling is the same, everyone's devotion is the same. Ram is in everyone's words, Ram is in everyone's heart," Modi said.

During this period, many people sang Ram bhajans and dedicated them to Lord Ram, while on January 22 evening the whole country lit 'Ram Jyoti' and celebrated Diwali, he noted.

"During this time, the collective strength of the country was visible which also forms the basis of our pledge of a developed India," he said.

In his broadcast, Modi said many people honoured with Padma awards recently were those who worked at grassroots and away from limelight to make big changes.

"I am very happy that the system of Padma awards has transformed completely in the last decade. Now it has become people's Padma," he said.

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