Rituals for Ram temple’s second anniversary begin

Rituals marking the second anniversary or Pratishtha Dwadashi of Ram temple’s consecration ceremony began on Saturday in the premises, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra (SRJTK) Trust members said. The anniversary will be on December 31, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh being the chief guest. The rituals were conducted under the SRJTK Trust member Swami Vishwaprasanna Teertha, with 15 Vedic scholars from Bengaluru Vidyapeeth in attendance, they said.

Saturday’s rituals included a havan and the establishment of a kavach. A palanquin festival for the deity was also held in the complex, followed by a mandal puja. Other ceremonies included tatva havan, worship of a tatva kalash, Ganpati puja and another havan, Swami Vishwaprasanna Teertha said.

On Pratishtha Dwadashi, on December 31, the deity will be anointed with panch ras with fifty-six dishes offered to Lord Ram Lalla as bhog, Swami said. He said bhajans will be sung and a dhol festival will also be held. Meetings are underway to install a gem-studded idol.

The idol of the Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22, 2024.

All VIP passes for the Ram temple till January 1, 2026, are full, informed temple trust member Anil Mishra.

Mishra said that the number of devotees in Ayodhya has been continuously increasing for the past month. Despite this, devotees coming through the general darshan route are getting darshan in about half an hour.

Regarding the pass system, a limited number of passes are issued daily. A total of 400 passes are fixed in one slot of 2 hours, which are full till January 1. He said that Aarti’s passes are also full.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the sacrifices made by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and his entire family are unparalleled not only in the history of India but that of the world. He was speaking at a ‘kirtan’ congregation at Gurdwara Guru Tegh Bahadur Darbar in Sion here on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas, observed to commemorate the martyrdom of Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh.

The chief minister also offered prayers to the Guru Granth Sahib. Paying tributes to the Sahibzadas, Fadnavis said, “The sacrifices made by Guru Gobind Singh and his entire family are unparalleled not only in Indian history but also in world history. Despite immense personal loss, Guru Gobind Singh never wavered from his principles and gave a powerful message to the world about protecting humanity and upholding righteousness.”

Despite their tender age, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh faced brutal atrocities with courage and accepted martyrdom without fear. Their sacrifice continues to inspire society and teaches the importance of standing firmly against injustice, he said.

The CM thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision to observe December 26 as Veer Bal Diwas. He appealed to people to remember all Sikh Gurus on the day, pay homage to the sacrifices of their families and reaffirm their commitment to the path shown by them for the protection of humanity. On the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh on January 9, 2022, PM Modi had announced that December 26 would be observed as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ to commemorate the martyrdom of the Sahibzadas.