A day after ‘Makar Sakranti’ – when the supposed inauspicious month of ‘Khar Mas’ ends — Ayodhya will start warming up to the grand finale of Ram Lalla consecration during the ‘Mrigashira Nakshatra’ of January 22 afternoon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the grand temple, preparations for which will begin from January 16.
What is Included in the Week-Long Rituals
On January 16, the ritual for the idol of Ram Lalla to return home will begin. The next day, the idol will be taken out and be carried across Ayodhya. The following day, the ritual of ‘Prana Pratishtha’ will begin.
There will be a slew of pujas that will take place on that day including ‘Mandap Pradesh Pujan’ where the idol’s entry into the ‘mandap’ or pavilion will be facilitated, ‘Vastu Pujan’ where Vastu worship will take place. On the same day, the river God will be revered through ‘Barun Pujan’, and Ganesha will be worshipped through ‘Vighnaharta Pujan’. ‘Matrika Pujan’ will also be completed on January 18.
On January 19, a fire pit will be created where the holy fire will be lit. The following morning, the focus shifts to the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple where the area will be cleansed with water which is kept in 81 containers. They have water from almost all key rivers in India. Vastu Shanti Pujan will also take place the very same day where through worship any anomaly in Vastu will be corrected.
Just 24 hours before the D-Day, a mega Havan will take place, after which, Ram Lalla will be bathed with water collected in 125 containers. This ends the preparation stage leaving the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram on January 22, in the presence of the PM himself, precisely between 12 hours 29 minutes and 8 seconds to 12 hours 30 minutes and 32 seconds, in the afternoon.
“Whenever a deity is consecrated, such elaborate measures do take place. It is common in Hindu custom to take the deity across the town before the event as if taking permission from its residents and seeking their participation. Ganesh Puja as well as rituals where the deity is bathed in holy water are part of that elaborate run up to such events,” VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal told News18.
Mega Invitation Drive Till January 15
Meanwhile, before the rituals start on January 16, a 15-day-long mega invitation programme called ‘Akshat Nimantran Abhiyan’ kicked off on the New Year’s Day. The event is spearheaded by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) — the same outfit that led the Ram Janmabhoomi movement for decades that reached its peak in the 90s.
The drive started on January 1 in Ayodhya’s Ram Lala Nagar where saints including Jai Ram Das Ji Maharaj, Vaidehi Ballav Saran Maharaj, Ram Mandir Teerth Khestra General Secretary Champat Rai went door to door to invite citizens to visit the Ram Temple from January 23 onwards by distributing holy rice grains.
Similar drives took place across the length and breadth of India. In Delhi, a ritual by the name of ‘Ram Mandir Maha Yagya’ took place in an Arya Samaj temple in East of Kailash followed by visiting residents with the same holy rice grain. VHP leadership in Delhi was present all through the drive.
The mega drive will continue till January 15.
Meanwhile, the BJP central leadership has asked the West Bengal unit to pause all its plans for 15 days and throw its organisational might behind this drive in the state. West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has said they are calling it ‘Ghar Ghar Yatra’ whereby they will reach every block in the state. Many other state units have also sprung into action. In mid-December, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva held an organisation meeting of to discuss the ‘Ram Utsav’ drive.
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