AYODHYA RAM TEMPLE CEREMONY: A GLANCE AT THE COLOSSAL EVENT PLAN

One of the most anticipated event – The Ram Temple ceremony is set to be held tomorrow, August 5th 2020. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will also visit Ayodhya to attend the ceremony. The PM will spend approximately 3 hours in Ayodhya and will perform the necessary rituals for the Ram Mandir. 

The list of the invitees was made public two days before the event, which consisted of 175 names only because of the ongoing pandemic situation in the country. Only four other personalities will escort PM Modi on the stage for this massive event. The invitations have only been sent out to the residents of Ayodhya. The recipient of the honorary Padma Shri Award for the cremation of over 10,000 bodies, Mohammad Sharif, was also sent an invite for the ceremony. 

Some of the most influential members in this campaign like Uma Bharti, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi will not be present at the event. They will attend the event live through virtual mediums. 

PM Modi will first reach Lucknow through a special flight and from there he will proceed towards Ayodhya in a Helicopter. PM Modi’s Helicopter will land near the banks of the River Saryu, from where he is expected to visit the Hanumangarhi Temple and pray for 10 minutes. 

The PM will then proceed towards the Ram Janmabhoomi and offer prayers to “Ram Lalla”. Devotees believe that Lord Rama was born in this particular spot. After offering prayers to the idol of “Ram Lalla”, PM Modi will head towards the stage to become a part of the historical ceremony.

Construction of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir one on the highly disputed land was one of the major agenda mentioned in the BJP’s manifesto. A 40-kg silver brick will be laid down by PM Modi marking the commencement of the construction of the Holy Temple.

After the Babri Masjid demolition took place, the case regarding the land title was lodged in the Allahabad High Court. The final verdict of the disputed land was announced by the supreme court on November 9th 2019 headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. It was announced that the 2.27-acre land belonged to the government and should be handed over to a trust for the construction of the Ram Temple. An alternate 5-acre land was also to be provided to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of the mosque.

Here are some of the measures and rituals implemented, ahead of the event:-

• Barricades are established. Only the 175 invitees will be allowed in the ceremony. Out of these 175 invitees, 135 are well-known and revered priests or spiritual leaders.
• Twenty-one priests performed prayers dedicated to various gods connected to Lord Rama. This event took place on Monday. 
• One of the defendants in the temple-mosque dispute, Iqbal Ansari, was the first person to be invited. He confirmed his presence in the ceremony and said that the dispute is over and he will definitely attend the ceremony. Iqbal’s father was the oldest litigant in the case.
• The ceremony will be live-telecasted on national TV. People all over the world can witness the event through Doordarshan.

As per the priests and the religious leaders, the “Muhurat” (most favourable moment) will only last for 32 seconds. The “Subh Muhurat” is anticipated to start from 12:44:08 till 12:44:40 on Wednesday.

The four other people who will escort PM Modi to the stage are as follows:-

• RSS chief- Mohan Bhagwat
• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh- Yogi Adityanath
• Trust Chief- Nritya Gopaldas Maharaj
• Governor of Uttar Pradesh- Anandiben Patel

The CM Yogi Adityanath expressed his exhilaration for the event calling it a historical and emotional moment. He said this would prove to be a foundation of a New India. He further requested people to light earthen lamps and decorate the temples to celebrate this historic moment. 

The whole city of Ayodhya has been decorated to celebrate this massive event, and preparations towards the main event are significant.