Ayodhya. The city of Ayodhya is ready like a bride for the grand ceremony of consecration ceremony to be held in the Ram temple on Monday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the religious rituals of this much-awaited ceremony. This temple will be opened to the general public the very next day of the ceremony.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony will begin at 12.20 pm and is expected to be completed by 1 pm. After this, the Prime Minister will address a gathering of more than 7,000 people, including saints and eminent personalities, at the venue. According to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, on Sunday, the idol of Ram Lala was bathed with 114 pitchers filled with ‘medicinal’ and holy water brought from various pilgrimage sites.
A member of the trust said, “The idol was kept in ‘Madhyadhivas’ today. ‘Ratri Jagran Adhivas’ will start from today. The old idol of Ramlala is being worshiped in ‘Yagyashala’. Rituals are being performed with flowers brought from many places including Chennai and Pune.”
He said, “Today, temple trust member Anil Mishra along with his family, VHP chief R. N. Singh and others are performing rituals. The rituals related to the Pran Pratistha ceremony started from Saryu river on January 16, which will be completed on Monday afternoon in ‘Abhijeet Muhurta’.
Some people invited for the ceremony reached Ayodhya on Sunday and others are expected to reach on Monday morning. It is expected that millions of people will watch the live telecast of this event on television and online platforms. In view of this, many state governments including the Central Government have announced half-day holiday.
Authorities finalized preparations for the ceremony in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, on Sunday. Along with this, special celebrations have been announced on this occasion in the country and abroad. Programs have been announced on January 22 in different parts of the world from Washington DC to Paris and Sydney. These programs are being organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or the Hindu diaspora community in 60 countries.
Ayodhya has been decorated with flowers and lights and ‘Ram Dhun’ was played on loudspeakers installed at various places on Sunday. The townspeople came out on the streets dressed as Lord Ram, Mother Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman and following them, mesmerized devotees also joined the rallies. Floral patterns and ceremonial gates depicting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ with lights are enhancing the aura of the city.
The Uttar Pradesh government is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for this special day and policemen have been deployed at every nook and corner of the city. Barriers with barbed wire have been installed at every main intersection of the temple town. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams trained to deal with incidents like earthquakes and floods as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks have also been deployed.
The administration has also made preparations to deal with any health emergency in view of the outbreak of cold. Beds have been reserved in Ayodhya and district hospitals and the medical colleges here. Experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have trained doctors in health care institutions to deal with emergencies.
The grand Ram temple is decorated with flowers and special lights and the entire city is drenched in religious colors or we can say that “Ayodhya is becoming Rammay”. This temple town is covered with posters and hoardings with slogans like “Shubh Ghadi Aayi”, “Ayodhya Dham is ready, Shri Ram will sit”, “Ram will return”, “Ram Rajya in Ayodhya”.
Posters with various verses of Ramayana have also been put up at important places like Ram Marg, Saryu river bank and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk. Ramlila, Bhagwat Katha, Bhajan Sandhya and cultural programs are being organized here at various places. The banks of Saryu river are also decorated, where thousands of people are gathering every evening for Aarti.
Public sector banks, insurance companies, financial institutions and regional rural banks across the country will also remain closed for half a day on January 22. NSE and BSE stock exchanges have also announced no trading on this day.
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Tags: Ayodhya, Ram Mandir, Ram Temple
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 21, 2024, 22:45 IST