Devotees of Lord Ram here in the city of temples and the Kashmir valley Monday performed special prayers across several historic temples to mark the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Chants of Jai Shri Ram echoed as religious festivities reached their crescendo ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya.
Braving cold weather conditions the devotees were seen lined up in large numbers across Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Shankaracharya temple in Srinagar, and Raghunath temple in Jammu to participate in religious gatherings. Shri Mata Shrine board authorities had decked up the shrine premises in Diwali fervor.
Week-long religious festivities peaked as the city wore a festive look.
King-size posters of the sprawling Ram temple were raised across vantage locations. Jammu city wore a festive look as several markets were decked up with buntings, and saffron flags. Flower decorations were done along with erecting welcome gates to add color to the festive atmosphere.
Temple premises were decorated with a variety of fresh flowers. Dipped in devotion, jubilant Ram Bhakts were seen preparing 'rangolis' and lighting earthen lamps. Children and women participated in the celebrations in large numbers in nearby temples in several residential colonies.
Similar gatherings were witnessed across a dozen other famous temples of the region including the Sun temple at Mattan in Anantnag and the Hanuman temple in Amarikadal area of Srinagar.
At several places, the local authorities and management committees of religious places had organized special screenings to witness the historic occasion on big screens.
Devout Ram Bhakts also participated in the Bhajan kirtan and Ramayan recitation across several temples. In the evening, thousands of devotees light up diyas to mark the momentous occasion. The skyline was filled with colorful fireworks. Elaborate security arrangements were made across the city to prevent any untoward incident. The devotees were served refreshments and prasad across community kitchens/special langars organised to celebrate the consecration ceremony.