With less than a week left for Ram Lalla’s much-awaited homecoming, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on January 16, said Ayodhya will resonate with the soulful notes of Sankirtan in the name of ‘Ram’ and earthen lamps will be lit and a Deepotsav will be celebrated where bullets once rang out.
Speaking at an event in the city on January 16, Chief Minister Adityanath said, “Why is the city called Ayodhya? Why does it have age-old traditions? Even our Vedas have glorious references to Ayodhya. If you cultivate an interest in our traditional beliefs, you will sense their resonance in every brick laid in the city today.”
“Ayodhya will now be opened to devotees for darshan. No longer will bullets go off in the streets of Shri Ayodhya Dham. Now, Ayodhya will immerse and indulge in festivals. Daily life here would no longer be restricted by a curfew. Rather, the sweet and soulful notes of Sankirtan in the name of ‘Ram’ will echo in the streets,” CM Yogi added.
Heaping praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping bring the dream of a grand Ram Mandir to fruition, the CM said, “As we count down to the opening of the Ram Mandir, I wish to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was there every step of the way during the struggle and it is because of his relentless effort and guidance that this wait of over 500 years is finally coming to an end.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi, who will inaugurate the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, said on January 16, that the expanse of Bhagwan Ram’s life and his inspiration are much beyond devotion.
Noting that the entire country is steeped in devotion ahead of the Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya Mandir on January 22, PM Modi said that the expanse of Bhgawan Ram is a symbol of good governance in social life. He made several references to Ramayana in his speech, saying that the entire country is “Rammay.”
“The entire country is Rammay (obsessed with Bhagwan Ram). The scope of Bhagwan Ram’s life, His inspiration and faith extend far beyond devotion. Bhagwan Ram is a symbol of good governance in social life,” PM Modi said. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.
The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, said the Ram Mandir will be opened for ‘darshan’ to the general public from January 23.
“The ‘Pran Prathishtha’ is expected to conclude by 1 pm on January 22.
“PM Modi and other dignitaries at the event will express their thoughts after the ceremony. As per tradition, gifts in 1,000 baskets have come from Nepal’s Janakpur and areas of Mithila. On January 20 and 21, darshan will remain closed to the public,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping a fast and observing an 11-day special ritual in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
(with inputs from ANI)
