Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath offered water from the Kabul river in Afghanistan at the Ram temple foundation in Ayodhya on Sunday.
“A girl from Kabul in Afghanistan had sent water of the Kabul river to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a request to dedicate it to the Ram temple,” said the chief minister.
Adityanath reached Ayodhya along with the water, which was sealed in a small plastic bottle.
After reaching Ram Janmabhoomi, the chief minister mixed the water from the Kabul river with Ganga jal (water from the Ganga) and sprinkled it on the Ram temple’s foundation with full Vedic rituals. Two priests were also present on the occasion.
“On PM Modi’s instructions, I am here (Ayodhya) to dedicate the water from Kabul river, which has been mixed with Ganga Jal, to the Ram temple,” he added.
Before leaving for Ayodhya, the CM told the media in Lucknow that the girl’s gesture (of sending Kabul river water) becomes all the more important because, with the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan, the freedom of women has been curtailed there.
“In such a situation, the girl’s gesture of sending the water of the Kabul river for offering at the Ram temple is highly praiseworthy,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“In such a situation, the girl’s gesture of sending the water of the Kabul river for offering at the Ram temple is highly praiseworthy,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The Ram temple has an international appeal and people from different faiths have expressed their sentiments in different countries in its favour, he said.
Adityanath has already said that 12 lakh diyas (earthen lamps) collected from all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh will be lit in Ayodhya as part of the Deepotsav celebrations in the pilgrim town on November 3.
Adityanath also presided over the concluding ceremony of the Ramayan Conclave at Ram Katha Park. President Ram Nath Kovind had inaugurated the event during his Ayodhya visit on August 29.
On the occasion, the CM felicitated the saints of Ayodhya, including Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, who were present at the event.