Ayodhya: “Meri jhopdi ke bhag aaj khul jayenge, Ram aayenge (my fortune will turn around today as Ram will enter my abode).” The lyrics of this bhajan by Swati Mishra fills the air as devotees encircle the 40-ft tall veena at the Lata Mangeskhar chowk in Ayodhya.
With the countdown to the ‘pran pratishtha’ of the Ram temple entering its final phase, the temple town erupted into celebration Sunday. The cardinal Dharma Path leading to the temple was dotted with artists from across India displaying their talents.
As for the devotees, they are desperately biding their time before they can enter the temple to catch a glimpse of Ram after the consecration ceremony.
“Every minute feels like an hour. We are desperately waiting for the Ram temple to open. We have been waiting for this day for years and now when it is here it seems unreal. You will not believe it but we have not been able to sleep for the past few days. We see Ram everywhere. Ram Rajya aa raha hai (the kingdom of Ram is coming),” said Shashi Kiran Chaturvedi, who travelled to Ayodhya from Gorakhpur along with her three sisters.
Some of the VIPs who will attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ reached Ayodhya Sunday, including actors Kangana Ranaut and Shefali Shah, and religious leaders Morari Bapu and Sadhvi Rithambara, among others.
Heavy security deployment was seen at the four cardinal paths leading to the temple: Ram Janmabhoomi path, Dharma Path, Bhakti Path and Ram Path. These roads will be used by invitees to reach the temple.
On Sunday, movement of vehicles was restricted on Dharma Path for security reasons.
While the final strokes are still being worked out, the local administration is now focussed on ensuring smooth transportation of invitees, besides seating arrangements and overall mobility on the temple premises.
Several rounds of meetings took place Sunday between the police, local administration and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) to ensure the invitees do not encounter any hassles.
All temples in Ayodhya have been decorated with marigold flowers and fairy lights; saffron flags can be seen fluttering atop homes as far as the eye can see and devotional songs are playing at various intersections across the temple town.
With the administration busy in making last-minute preparations, local authorities concluded the final rituals and ceremonies which have been underway for the past week. On Sunday, the idol of Ram Lalla placed in the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) was bathed with holy water brought in 114 pots from different ‘Teerth’ across the country.
“The rituals of worship are being performed with various flowers procured from many places including Chennai and Pune. In today’s puja, Anil Mishra along with his family and president of Vishva Hindu Parishad, Dr R.N. Singh and others are performing the puja rituals,” the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra said in a statement issued Sunday.
“The process of consecration ritual started from Saryu river in the afternoon of 16 January and the idol of Shri Ram Lalla arrived in the temple premises on 17 January. The ritual of consecration will be completed on Monday afternoon in Abhijeet Muhurta,” it added.
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Eateries, langars & rush of devotees
The Ayodhya civic body has set up a number of eateries to ensure devotees have easy access to food at nominal rates. Langars by various communities are also being organised at locations across the temple town.
In a special gesture, members of the Sikh community are catering to thousands of devotees with free meals, thrice a day. “We came from Delhi on 13 January and will be stationed here till February. We are very happy that the mandir (temple) is being inaugurated and we wanted to be a part of it and contribute in our own way,” said Gurmeet Kaur, who has taken three months off work to be in Ayodhya.
Following the conclusion of the consecration ceremony Monday, authorities expect a massive inflow of pilgrims and tourists into the temple town. Ayodhya Divisional commissioner Gaurav Dayal said the number can go up to 4-5 lakh devotees a day. “But we have been planning for this day for the past year and we have tried our very best to create a capacity in the city to accommodate the devotees,” he told ThePrint.
The administration plans to manage the influx of devotees with the help of dormitories, lockers, parking lots and tent cities. Golf carts have also been deployed to ferry devotees from one destination to the other.
At the same time, mobile ATMs, information kiosks, and portable washrooms have been set up at various locations on Dharma Path for the convenience of devotees.
The local administration has also set up Ashray Sthal — a kind of dormitory — at three locations in Ayodhya that can collectively accommodate 5,100 people. “Not just beggars and homeless but anyone who wishes to use the facilities and don’t have any other place to stay are welcome to spend the night here,” said Dayal.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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Consecration at incomplete temple will bring bad omen.