Following years of struggle, trials and tribulations, the bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is set to take place on Wednesday. Preparations for the bhoomi pujan, which will be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been completed and the stage is set for the grand show which is going to be telecast live. The construction of the Ram Mandir will begin immediately after the bhoomi pujan ceremony is over.
Tight security arrangements have been made and all Covid-related regulations are being strictly implemented in the area. The event is set to be witnessed by many dignitaries.
The three-hour long Ayodhya tour of PM Modi will include temple darshan, puja-archana and other programmes.
The Prime Minister’s schedule begins with departure from Delhi around 9:35 am. He is expected to land in Lucknow an hour later.
Then he would be leaving for Ayodhya on a helicopter at 10:40 am. He will land in Ayodhya’s Saket College at 11:30 am.
PM Modi will reach Hanumangarhi around 11:40 am and will spend the next 10 minutes in worship. He is expected at the Ram Janmabhoomi campus at 12 noon, where he will spend another 10 minutes visiting the Ramlala Virajmaan.
Around 12:15 pm, the plantation of night-flowering jasmine or Parijat will take place at the Ramlala Campus.
The bhoomi pujan programme will begin at 12:30 pm, with the establishment of the foundation stone by the Prime Minister being done at 12:40 pm.
The leader will depart for Saket College helipad after the event at 2:05 pm, with the helicopter expected to land him in Lucknow airport at 2:20 pm. He will subsequently be departing for Delhi from there.
While the Prime Minister has often come to Ayodhya after being elected to his post, he is yet to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi area.
Govind Giriji Maharaj, treasurer of Shri Ramjanmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said that the religious ceremonies will begin from 8:30 am in the morning and will continue till 12:30 pm. “The Prime Minister will arrive at 12:30 pm and he will offer ‘puja’ for 15 minutes and take ‘sankalp’. First Lord Ganesh will be worshipped then he will offer prayers of eight shilas. Some prayers at shilas we have conducted already,” Girisaid.
“The muhrat of pooja is at 12: 44 pm. He will say words ‘prathisthapayami’ and it is crucial to be done in that muhrat,” he said.
Elaborating on the rituals to be performed on Wednesday by the Prime Minister, the trust member said that most important is “Kurm Shila”.
“The most important is Kurm Shila — this is right beneath the place where Ramlala will be seated. It is this ceremony that we are conducting tomorrow. A cone of Bakul tree wood will be kept in the ceremony. This isn’t an ordinary cone, it is made of various metals, including gold and silver. A lotus with nine gems, too, will be part of the pujan which will be offered to this cone by the Prime Minister,” he said.
“These are intrinsic to the main bhoomi pujan. The first religious ceremony was of Devi Kali. There are two Devi Kalis here, ‘choti’ and ‘badi’. She is kuldevi, family’s goddess of Sita. Today we held Ramarchan ceremony,” said Giri. The Vedic pundits who are involved in religious ceremonies have come from Delhi, Mathura and Kashi.
Asked about the absence of Nepal’s religious head of Janaki Mandir, he said that there are many, including 20 religious heads, who would not able to come because they can’t leave their seat in Chaturmas.
On the design of temple, Giri said, the old design will remain as it is except a rise in height. “The structure has become popular and we will keep it. Keeping in mind the modernisation of architecture, we have raised height from 128 feet to 161 feet and instead of three peaks, we will have five peaks,” he said.
Kanchi Pithadhishvar Maharaj has sent silver coins as souvenirs for every sadhu participating in it, Giri said. Invitations have been sent to 175 people, including 135 saints of 35 religious organisations, to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram temple.
With inputs from agencies