Ram Janmabhoomi soil to be gifted to Pran Pratishtha guests
Soil from the Ram Janmabhoomi and copies of Gita Press's publication Ayodhya Darshan will be presented to guests at the upcoming consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will also receive a picture of the temple and boxes containing prasad and religious books. The Gita Press has also announced plans to distribute 10,000 copies of Ayodhya Darshan to the invitees. The Gita Press has recently been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for its contributions to social transformation.
The soil of Ram Janmabhoomi will be presented to guests at the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Kshetra Trust even as copies of Gita Press’s publication Ayodhya Darshan reached the temple town in a special vehicle named Pushpak Viman on Friday evening for distribution among the invitees at the January 22 event.
09 July 1992 - Ayodhya Start of Construction Work - HT File Photo by Rajiv Gupta. Hindu groups formed a committee in 1984 to lead the construction of a Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi site and the movement gathered momentum under BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani. In 1989, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) laid the foundation of a Ram temple on the land next to the Babri Masjid. (HT File Photo)
This soil was excavated during the digging of the foundation for the Ram temple.
The guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arriving at the event will also be given a picture of the Ram temple.
Two boxes will be presented to the guests, one containing prasad (a 100-gram motichoor laddoo made from ghee obtained from cow’s milk and a sacred tulsi or basil leaf) and the other with the Ram Janmabhoomi soil, Saryu river water packed in a bottle and religious books provided by Gita Press of Gorakhpur, a Trust member said.
Eminent personalities from different fields, including saints from various traditions of the country, will attend the consecration ceremony and the Trust is making grand preparations to welcome them.
Meanwhile, Gita Press manager Lalmani Tiwari said 10,000 copies of Ayodhya Darshan and copies of the Ramcharitmanas would be distributed to the invitees.
Ayodhya Darshan consists of a brief history of Ayodhya, the significance of pilgrimage to the temple town along with information about religious places like Hanuman Garhi and Hanuman Bagh, Tiwari said.
Ayodhya Darshan would also provide information about dharamshalas, hotels, train and bus services, he added.
On July 7 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the Gita Press for the closing ceremony of its centenary celebrations in Gorakhpur. He had also met Gita Press delegates at the inauguration of the Maharishi Valmiki International airport in Ayodhya on December 30.
In June, a jury headed by the Prime Minister chose the Gita Press for the Gandhi Peace Prize-2021 for “outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”.
In December, the Prime Minister gave his consent for a Gita Press outlet on the premises of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, according to officials of the Gorakhpur-based publisher.