Ram Rajya Rath rath rolls down Ayodhya; VHP to begin annual Ram Mahotsav from March 18

The Ram Rajya Rath will move for its onward journey through Varanasi, Mirzapur, Chirtakoot, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain and Nasik to end at Ram Das Ashram in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Ram Navmi.

The Ram Rajya Rath reached Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya from Mumbai on Saturday, to begin its 41-day Rath Yatra starting February 13, on Shivratri.

Ram Rajya Rath reached Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya from Mumbai on Saturday.(HT Photo)

A large number of locals welcomed the rath at the Karsevakpuram. The 28-feet rath has been modelled on the lines of the proposed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

The Ram Rajya Rath will move for its onward journey through Varanasi, Mirzapur, Chirtakoot, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain and Nasik to end at Ram Das Ashram in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Ram Navmi.

Sree Ramadasa Mission Universal Society, Kerala, is taking out this Rath Yatra with the sole objective of constructing Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

“Our mission is to ensure construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. With this objective, we are taking out the Rath Yatra. It will end at our ashram (Rama Das Ashram) in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Ram Navmi,” said Sreesakti Saanthananda, the mahant who is spearheading the yatra.

For the next year also, the Sree Ramadasa Mission Universal Society has planned an itinerary for the Yatra.

In 2019, it will start the Ram Rajya Rath Yatra from Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari on Shivratri. The yatra will pass several states and end in Ayodhya on Ram Navmi.

“Lord Ram had to spend 14 years in exile. The gap between the two Rath Yatras in 2018 and 2019 will be around 14 months,” said Sreesakti Saanthananda.

As the rath leaves Ayodhya, the VHP will start its annual event Ram Mahotsav in Ayodhya from March 18 on a grand scale. The 14-day event will end on March 31.

This year, saints of Ayodhya and the VHP are planning to scale up the event in Uttar Pradesh as Mahant of Gorakhnath temple Yogi Adityanath is now heading a BJP government in the state.

The event will also witness ‘Maha aarti’ at block level in villages across the state.

With the forthcoming Ram Mahotsav, the VHP is once again planning to bring Ayodhya under the spot light.