The South Korean Ambassador to India, Chang Jae Bok said that there is historical importance of Ayodhya in South Korea and India.
Claiming that an Indian princess married a Korean king, the South Korean Ambassador claimed that As per a legendary story, an Indian Princess married a Korean King and this happened two thousand years ago. In one historical book, the princess was from Ayodhya, and a lot of people claim that this referred to the Indian city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India.
“Ayodhya is very important for both of us, historically. You will have a very important inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya. For now, to have a high-level representation, the Central Government or UP Government should elaborate on the program. However, we will work on that (South Korean high-level participation), if the Government of India issues the invitation for the Ram temple inauguration,” says South Korean Ambassador in India Chang Jae-Bok.
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Looking forward to an invitation to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the South Korean Envoy to India said “To have senior representation from South Korea, the central government should elaborate the programme of Ram temple inauguration. We will work on that if the government of India issues an invitation.
He promised that “As it would be the New Year month, it will be difficult for the senior representatives or ministers to come if the information is shared just prior to a month. However, we will work on that if India issues an invite to the inauguration.”
PM Modi to attend Ram Mandir inaugural
As per the General Secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust, Champat Rai, around 1000 guests are likely to attend the consecration ceremony He told a media agency that the trust has given the dates between January 15 and January 24, 2024, to the Priem Minister from the ceremony. However, the decision on the actual date is yet to be taken.
“The Trust has fixed a deadline to complete the groundwork by December 2023, so that the temple can be opened for devotees by January 2024, Rai said. According to a report by the media agency report, the plants, and flowers worth Rs 22 crores will be planted leading to the Ram Mandir.
Why is Ayodhya important for South Koreans?
Every year, hundreds of South Koreans visit the birthplace of the Hindu God Ram for the sake of paying homage to their legendary queen Heo Hwang-ok, also known as Princess Suriratna. She was first mentioned in a thirteenth-century Korean text known as Samguk Yusa as the wife of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, who was a ruling city-state in Korea during the period of the Three Kingdoms.
The Samguk Yusa was compiled by a group of Buddhist monks as a collection of fables and historical accounts connected to the Three Kingdoms of Korea, which included Baejke, Silla, and Gogureyo. Modern Korea derived its name from Gogureyo. The text mentions that Heo was the princess of “Ayuta Kingdom” and that she arrived in Korea as a 16-year-old in 48 CE. She then married King Suro and is regarded as the first Queen of Geumgwan Gaya.
Though the Samguk Yusa is the only text that mentions Heo’s connection with the Ayuta kingdom, there is no mention of where Ayuta was precisely located. All it suggests is that she came from an ancient land.
Later, however, anthropologist Kim Byung-mo is believed to have suggested Ayuta to mean Ayodhya, based on phonetic similarities. However, this association is unclear because, during the ancient period, Ayodhya was named “Saketa” in Hindu Mythology and folklore.
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