Ayodhya, Jan 1 (PTI) A huge number of people poured in to have ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, many took holy dip in the Saryu river and others gathered at the iconic Lata Mangeshkar Chowk here to celebrate New Year’s Day in the temple town on Monday.
Besides, a colourful ‘shobha yatra’ was taken out by a group of women, dressed in their traditional costumes, from Uttarakhand, in the heart of the city.
Traffic restrictions were placed on Ram Path as huge crowd swelled on the streets by afternoon, mostly devotees queuing in to enter temples in the city, mainly Ramjanmabhoomi temple and Hanumangarhi temple.
A traffic police personnel on duty said the crowd seems to be larger in Ayodhya this New Year as the consecration ceremony of the under-construction Ram temple is on January 22.
On the night of December 31, scores of people had gathered at Lata Mangeshkar Chowk to ring in the new year, amid chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
A group of local residents began steaming in by 11 pm on Sunday night at the iconic roundabout to take selfies and photos.
As soon as the clock struck 12, a motley group came together and shouted ‘Happy New Year’ and some later chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Lata Mangeshkar Chowk has become a famous spot for taking selfies in the holy city, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped by at the roundabout during his roadshow on Saturday.
Pathak sisters — Navya and Madhavi — came along with their family members and even brought a cake to mark the occasion. ‘Happy New Year 2024’ was written on the confectionery item.
Navya said she plays the role of Goddess Sita in religious tableau or other such events, and even sang a devotional song ‘Ram aayenge’ much to people’s delight.
Rekha Sengupta came along with her husband and other family members to ring in 2024.
“Today (December 31) is my birthday and in a short while we will be celebrating New Year. Tomorrow, we also plan to go to Hanumangarhi, Kanak Bhawan and the newly-built airport,” she told PTI around 11 pm.
Early morning, several people gathered at the Naya Ghat to take a holy dip in the Saryu, while many others had started queuing in from early hours to catch a glimpse of Ram Lalla.
A grand Ram temple is being constructed in the holy city, four years after the Supreme Court verdict paved the way for it.
From local residents to natives of nearby districts, a large crowd thronged the famous temples, including Kanak Bhawan.
Laxmi Narayan Shukla came to Ayodhya from Baharaich on Monday to celebrate New Year with his friends. They all carried ‘Shri Ram’ chant stamped on their foreheads with colours.
“We went to Ramjanmabhoomi temple at around 9 am, and had ‘darshan’. It felt very good to be in Ayodhya on New Year’s Day,” Shukla told PTI.
A massive crowd had gathered by evening on the steps of Hanumangarhi temple as devotees sought to get blessings of Lord Hanuman.
Many also were seen browsing or buying lockets, key chains, or temple models from shops located on the redeveloped stretch of the main road in Ayodhya — Ram Path.
Parmeshwar Bisht from Pauri and Babita Pawar from Rudraprayag districts took part in the colourful yatra on the Ram Path, which also included a ‘rath’ that rolled along carrying artistes dressed as Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Laxman, as many participants in the front chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Many revellers expressed joy over the scheduled consecration ceremony on January 22.
Meanwhile in Ayodhya, organisers began distributing worshipped ‘akshat’ — rice grains mixed with turmeric and ghee — on New Year’s Day and this will continue up to January 15, a week before the ‘pran pratishtha’. PTI KND CK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.