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₹100 cr for Ramotsav: Mega events in run-up to Ram temple inauguration
The events will begin this month while the mega functions will start from Makar Sankranti on January 14/15 and continue till the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22
LUCKNOW In the run-up to the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, the Yogi Adityanath government has allocated ₹100 crore for ‘Ramotsav’, a series of religious events in temples in 826 local bodies across UP and the Ram Paduka Yatra.
The events will begin this month while the mega functions will start from Makar Sankranti on January 14/15 next year and continue till the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The yatra will traverse through the Ram Van Gaman Path taken by Lord Ram while proceeding for 14-year exile from Ayodhya and cover the entire country.
Continuous recitals of Ramcharitmanas, Ramayan and Hanuman Chalisa will take place in temples associated with the ‘Ramayan tradition’.
“The plan is to connect each district and every prominent temple in the state with the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla and make the entire state ‘Ram-mai’,” said a state government official.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. UP government’s department of tourism and culture is organising the event with the help of the paryatan and sanskritik parishad in each district.
COMPETITIONS IN GOVT SCHOOLS
The UP government has also planned a series of events in government-run schools. These will include art, essay writing, fancy dress competitions and religious songs based on Ramayan. Workshops on how to carve out idols of Lord Ram will also be organised.
EVENTS IN AYODHYA
The state government has planned a display of Ram Katha through projection mapping and dragon show in Ayodhya besides a water laser show at river Saryu, depicting various events of Ramayan.
“The proposal related to Ramotsav was presented in the Vidhan Sabha in the supplementary budget on Wednesday. The House will pass it on Friday in the ongoing winter session,” according to a statement by the state government.
INT’L RAMAYAN & VEDIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The UP government has approved a proposal to upgrade Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan established on August 18, 1986. Now, it will be International Ramayan and Vedic Shodh Sansthan, Ayodhya for which the state government has approved a budget of ₹5.72 crore. The project will be executed by the department of culture.
DISTRIBUTUION OF SACRED RICE
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust overseeing the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya has decided to distribute sacred rice (Akshata), offered to the deity at Ram Janmabhoomi, to 500,000 temples in as many villages across the country ahead of the consecration ceremony scheduled on January 22.
“Around 100 volunteers and office-bearers of the VHP were handed over a pitcher of 5.25kg sacred rice in Ayodhya on November 5,” said Sharad Sharma, regional spokesperson, VHP. After Vedic rituals, it will be distributed from January 1 and the campaign will end on January 15.
