Kashi’s Dom Raja joins PM as ‘Yajman’

“All of them along with their wives were present during the ceremony,” said Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, notable representatives from the weaker sections of society, including the Dom Raja of Kashi, served as ‘Yajman’ (hosts) at the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya on January 22.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, second left, receives a souvenir from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the opening of a temple dedicated to Hinduism’s Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Modi opened the controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in a grand event that is expected to galvanize Hindu voters in upcoming elections. AP/PTI (AP)

“All of them along with their wives were present during the ceremony,” said Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The Trust had invited Dom Raja, Anil Chaudhary, and his wife, Sapna Devi, from Varanasi, the PM’s parliamentary constituency. Dom Raja is the guardian of the torch used to light pyres at Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats and considered the king of the lowest sub-caste among the Harijans.

Other invitees who played ‘Yajman’ on the concluding day of the consecration ceremony, includes Adalarasan from Tamil Nadu, Vitthal Rao Kamble from Mumbai, Mahadev Gaikwad from Latur in Maharashtra, Dileep Valmik from Lucknow, Kailash Yadav and Kavindra Pratap Singh from Varanasi, Arun Chaudhary from Palwal in Haryana and Sri Ling Raj Basavaraj Raj Appa from Kalaburagi in Karnataka.

Ramchandra Kharadi, president, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram of Udaipur, Ram Kui Jemi from Assam, Gurucharan Singh Gill from Jaipur, Krishna Mohan from Hardoi, and Ramesh Jain Multani were also invited.

Guests pay obeisance to Ram Lalla

The Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said that approximately 8,000 guests who attended the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla paid their respects to the deity after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left the Ram Janmabhoomi complex.