No consensus yet on Ram Darbar darshan for common devotees

A meeting to discuss the issue was held on Tuesday between the trust’s office-bearers and senior police and administrative officials

‘Darshan’ or the sacred viewing of Raja Ram seated in the Ram Darbar on the first floor of the Ayodhya Ram Temple continues to remain restricted due to logistical and security constraints.

The Ayodhya Ram Temple (File)

Despite the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra’s stated intent to facilitate darshan for all pilgrims, a workable solution is yet to emerge.

A meeting to discuss the issue was held on Tuesday between the trust’s office-bearers and senior police and administrative officials. However, the deliberations failed to yield a consensus on how common devotees can be allowed access to the first floor without compromising safety and crowd management.

“We are discussing the issue. Due to the crowd pressure, movement on the temple’s first floor has been restricted. We will inform devotees whenever we reach a solution,” said Champat Rai, the trust’s general secretary.

“The core challenge is in the limited space on the first floor, which can accommodate only a restricted number of devotees at any given time. We are continuously working out permutations and combinations to resolve the issue, but no concrete plan has been finalised yet, and it will take some time to arrive at a solution,” said additional director general (ADG), Ayodhya Range, Praveen Kumar. He added that Tuesday’s meeting was part of an ongoing series of discussions among stakeholders.

It is learnt that the officials deliberated whether crowd movement could be regulated through designated darshan lanes, possibly extending from the Parikrama Path, Parikota, or the Sapt Mandapam area. However, there were sharp differences of opinion between temple trustees and security agencies. While some favour a controlled lane system, others warned that it could result in devotees standing in queues for hours, disrupting the overall flow of darshan.

The issue has gained urgency following the recent flag-hoisting ceremony in the temple complex. The matter is expected to feature prominently in the upcoming meeting of the Temple Construction Committee, as a long-term solution is now seen as unavoidable.