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Ram Navami fervour in Ayodhya: 25 lakh devotees take holy dip in Saryu
The Ram Janmabhoomi campus was decked up with around 50 tonnes of flowers and the celebrations were live-streamed by the Ram Janmabhoomni Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Ram Navami was celebrated with festive fervour in Ayodhya on Thursday with about 25 lakh people taking a dip in river Saryu to mark the occasion. Lakhs of devotees thronged the temple town amid tight security arrangements by the administration, said officials.
The celebrations got off early in the morning and special prayers were performed in all the temples of the district at midday. People sang devotional songs and took out rath yatras of Ram, his wife Sita, brother Lakshman and Hanuman from many temples.
The Ram Janmabhoomi campus was decked up with around 50 tonnes of flowers and the celebrations were live-streamed by the Ram Janmabhoomni Teerth Kshetra Trust through its social media platforms.
Devotees turned up in large numbers at Kanak Bhawan, where Ram Lalla was born. LED screens were installed at several locations across the city for live-streaming of celebrations at Ram Janmabhoomi.
District magistrate (Ayodhya) Nitish Kumar said around 25 lakh devotees took a dip in the Saryu on Thursday morning and visited major temples, including Kanak Bhawan, Hanumangarhi and Nageshwarnaath.
Acharya Satyendra Das, head priest of Ram Janmabhoomi, performed vedic rituals at the makeshift temple. The deity was dressed in new clothes and special ‘prasad’ was offered on the occasion.
At the stroke of 12noon, the head priest performed ‘aarti’ of Ram Lalla. Jalabhishek of the deity was performed with milk and honey (charnamrit) at Ram Janmabhoomi.
Around 8,000 temples in Ayodhya district witnessed Ram Navami celebrations.
Cultural events were organised at seven locations across the city, including Ram ki Paidi, Tulsi Udyan, Gandhi Ashram, Valmik Bhawan, Guptaar Ghat, Bhajan Sandhya Sthal and Digambar Jain Mandir.
The historic Hanuman Garhi temple was another destination were devotees turned up in large numbers.
Two-day cultural events - part of the Ramayan conclave, ‘Jan Jan Ke Ram’, being organised by the state government – began at the Ram Katha Park in the evening. Local artistes performed kathak dance ‘Ram Ramaiyya’ while a troupe from Singapore performed the dance ballet – ‘Jatayu Moksha’. A special performance was also given by artistes from Indonesia.
Later, singer Malini Awasthi, Padma Shri awardee, also performed while bhajan singer and Padma Shri awardee Anup Jalota will perform on Friday.
The DM informed that all events will be organised at the Ram Katha Park where entry will be free. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed all over the temple town to ensure the security and safety of devotees.
