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Sharad Pawar gets Ayodhya invite, to visit once Ram Temple construction is over
The NCP veteran said that he would visit the temple town after the pran-prathistha ceremony as it would be easier to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar has decided to skip the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla scheduled to take place on January 22 and instead visit the grand temple later. In a letter to Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, Pawar expressed gratitude for the invitation and said that the joy and happiness of the mega event would reach him via the devotees who would be reaching there in large numbers.
"I am grateful for the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony being held in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024.
"Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram is a symbol of devotion and faith of millions of devotees not only in India but all over the world. There is curiosity and eagerness among Ram devotees about the ceremony in Ayodhya and they are reaching there in large numbers. The joy of this historic event will reach me through them," the letter read.
The NCP veteran further stated that he would visit the temple town after the ‘Pran Prathistha’ ceremony as it would be easier to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla, and, by then, the construction work of Ram temple will also be completed.
"After the completion of the celebrations on 22 January, darshan of Shri Ram Lalla can be taken with ease and comfort. I am planning to come to Ayodhya, at that time I will have darshan of Shri Ram Lalla Ji with devotion. By then the construction of Ram temple would also have been completed.
"I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for your warm invitation. Please accept my best wishes for the success of the function," he further said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pawar claimed that the BJP and RSS are doing politics on the Ram Temple issue and invoked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi saying the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was laid when the late Congress leader was India's premier.
"The shilanyas (laying of first stone) was conducted during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, but today the BJP and RSS are doing politics in the name of Lord Ram," Pawar was quoted by PTI as saying.
Meanwhile, the week-long Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple commenced on Tuesday with the host appointed by the temple trust conducting the atonement ceremony. Panchgavyaprashan was also performed at Ram Janmabhoomi Temple with Panchgavya (milk, urine, dung, ghee, and curd), after worshipping Lord Vishnu.
On Wednesday, the idol of Lord Ram Lalla will be touring the premises of the temple. "On Wednesday, January 17, after 1:20 pm, there will be Jalayatra, Teertha Puja, Brahmin-Batuk-Kumari-Suvasini Puja, Vardhini Puja, Kalshayatra and a tour of the idol of Lord Shri Ram Lalla in the Prasad premises," the temple trust said in a post on X.
The rituals will culminate on January 22 with the ‘Pran Prathistha’ ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to preside over the ceremonial installation of Ram Lalla. The temple will be open for 'darshan' for the general public from January 23.
(With inputs from agencies)
