Ayodhya all set for ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple

Preparations for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram temple is in full swing in Ayodhya. While havans and rituals continued for the second day on Tuesday (August 4) at the site where the temple will be built, the city has been decked up with festoons, saffron flags ahead and hoardings of esteem guests including Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the event on Wednesday (August 5).

According to a Hindustan Times report, the three-day Vedic rituals which began on Monday (August 3) will wrap up with the bhoomi poojan ceremony on Wednesday.

While 21 priests are performing Vedic rituals for Ramacharya Puja at the Ram Janmabhoomi, eight priests are performing the rituals for the construction of the temple.

Prime Minister Modi who is slated to perform the bhoomi poojan at 12.15 pm, will take a special flight to Lucknow and another chopper to Ayodhya. The chopper will land at a helipad set up in a college in Ayodhya, according to NDTV.

Modi will first visit the Hanumangarhi temple before proceeding to the Ram Janmabhoomi site. He will offer prayers to Ram Lalla, the presiding deity of the temple before the ground-breaking ceremony.

The prime minister will place a 40 kg silver brick as part of the bhoomi pujan ceremony.

Besides the prime minister, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the event. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra general secretary on Monday said 175 eminent guests have been invited for the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

The invitation list has been prepared only after “personally discussing” with veteran BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, lawyer K Parasaran and other dignitaries, the trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai said. He said 175 eminent guests, including 135 seers belonging to as many spiritual traditions, would be present at the programme, adding that some eminent citizens of the temple town have also been invited. Salil Singhal, the nephew of late VHP leader Ashok Singhal, will be the “yajmaan” at the ceremony. Hindu seers from Nepal have also been invited as Janakpur has relations with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Ayodhya, Rai said.

The chief minister visited the site on Monday to take stock of the situation.