Ayodhya set to give rousing reception to Lord Ram on his homecoming

AYODHYA: Ayodhya is set to give a rousing welcome to Lord Ram on his homecoming on Monday after an exile of 500 years. The historic ritual of 'Pran Pratistha' of Ram Lalla will take place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saints and a host of distinguished guests.

Chief Minister has already arrived in Ayodhya to take stock of the preparations, whereas PM Modi will reach Maharishi Valmiki International Airport at 10.25 am. He will arrive at Ayodhya helipad at 10.45 from where he will proceed directly to the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

Subsequently, he will participate in various events from 11 am to 12 noon, while 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony will take place from 12.05 pm to 12.55 pm. After the program ends at 1 pm, he will reach the venue, where along with other special guests, he will address the entire country and the world. CM Yogi will also give his address here.

Meanwhile, the city of Ayodhya has been decorated like a bride with thousands of quintals of flowers. There is a festive atmosphere in Avadhpuri. Ram Sankirtan and Ram Charit Manas are being recited in temples across the country including Ayodhya Dham, the capital of Suryavansh. A divine aura is visible from Janmabhoomi Path to Ram Path, Bhakti Path and Dharma Path in Ayodhya. Cultural events presenting diverse musical and dance traditions from within Uttar Pradesh and from different parts of the country are taking place at various venues.

Bhajans of Lord Ram pervade the air. The Ram Janmabhoomi site has been decorated with different types of indigenous and foreign flowers, while the Janmabhoomi Path, Ram Path, Dharam Path and Lata Chowk are also decorated with beautiful flowers.

Stages have been set up for holding cultural programmes. Ram Katha is being organized by different religious leaders at different places and Ramlilas of different countries are also being staged. The Veena installed at Lata Chowk has also been illuminated with a wonderful combination of lighting and flowers. There is no place in Ayodhya Dham which has not been illuminated with flowers or LED lighting.

Besides, various highways leading to Ayodhya are also decorated with flowers and lights. Different chapters related to the biography of Lord Shri Ram have been depicted through mural paintings and wall paintings across Ayodhya Dham.

Saryu Aarti, cultural programmes and laser show are holding viewers spell-bound in Ram Ki Paidi. Preparations have also been made for Deepotsav in the evening by lighting one million lamps in Ayodhya after sunset. Deepotsav will be celebrated all over the country and the world.

PM Modi and CM Yogi have urged the countrymen to light 5 lamps after sunset. Meanwhile, there will be 121 Acharyas who will coordinate, support and guide all the processes of the ritual of the ceremony. Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid of Varanasi will monitor, coordinate and guide all the processes and Laxmikant Dixit of Kashi will be the chief Acharya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries will be present on the occasion. It is noteworthy that the process of Pran Pratishtha has already started from January 16.

While the 'Prayaschit' and Karmakuti puja was performed on January 16, the idol entered the premises on January 17. On January 18, Ram Lalla's idol was installed in the sanctum sectorum of the grand new temple.

Aushadhivas, Kesaradhivas, Ghritadhivas were organized on January 19, Dhanyadhivas on January 19, Sugardhivas, Fruitdhivas, Pushpadhivas on January 20 and Madhyadhivas and Shayadhivas on January 21.

More than 8,000 eminent people from different fields along with saints have been invited for the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony. Many of these people have already reached Ayodhya Dham whule the rest will arrive by Monday morning.

Apart from this, Acharyas of all the schools of Indian spirituality, religion, sect, method of worship, traditions, saints, Mahamandaleshwar, Mandaleshwar, Shrimahant, Mahant, Naga of more than 150 traditions, as well as heads of more than 50 tribal, hilly, coastal and island traditions will be present in the ceremony. It is for the first time in the history of India that residents of mountains, forests, coastal areas, islands etc. are participating in such a function at one place.

People from different traditions including Shaiva, Vaishnav, Shakta, Ganapatya, Patya, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Dashnam Shankar, Ramanand, Ramanuj, Nimbarka, Madhav, Vishnu Nami, Ramsanehi, Ghisapanth, Garibdasi, Gaudiya, Kabirpanthi, Valmiki, Shankardev (Assam), Madhav Dev, Many respected traditions like ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmoy Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangh, Gayatri Parivar, Anukul Chandra Thakur Tradition, Mahima Samaj of Odisha, Akali, Nirankari, Namdhari (Punjab), Radhasoami and Swaminarayan, Varkari, Veer Shaiva etc. will also attend the ceremony.

After the completion of the 'Pran Pratistha' in the sanctum sanctorum, the dignitaries will have the darshan of Ram Lalla. In view of Ram Lala Pran Pratishtha programme, heavy police force has been deployed in Ayodhya. The city has been divided into two zones, Red and Yellow. Units of SPG, NSG Black Cat Commandos, CRPF Cobra, CISF, RAF, NDRF have been deployed across the city. Teams of UP Police are guarding every nook and corner of the city. Snipers are also deployed on rooftops and important locations.

Besides, Intelligence Bureau and RAW are also keeping an eye on the activities. More than 100 DSPs, about 325 inspectors and 800 sub-inspectors from various districts of the state have been deployed in Dham, while 11,000 personnel of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed additionally. Three DIGs, 17 SPs, 40 ASPs, 82 DSPs, 90 Inspectors along with more than a 1000 constables and 4 company PACs have been deployed for VIP security. As many as 250 police guides are also available to provide information about tourist places to the devotees.

Yogi government is also taking the help of ITMS, CCTV, control room and public CCTV to make the security of the Dham impenetrable. The anti drone system based on AI technology is in fully active mode. Furthermore, parking arrangements have been made at 51 places for 23,000 vehicles of guests. Parking spots have been uploaded on Google Map to facilitate access. Parking spaces have also been reserved for VVIPs, VIPs and other guests. These parking lots have been equipped with wireless and PA systems.

The Health department has also made elaborate arrangements to deal with medical emergencies. CMO Dr. Sanjay Jain said that the department has formed first aid units in collaboration with Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust at 16 places in the event area. Each unit consists of a doctor, a pharmacist and a ward boy. Apart from these, two hospitals with a capacity of 10 and 20 beds have also been built. Apart from this, arrangements for 40 ambulances have also been made.

Besides, 190 beds have been reserved for emergency situations in Medical College, Shri Ram Hospital Ayodhya, District Hospital Ayodhya, Women District Hospital and Kumarganj Hospital. In view of the VVIP movement on the occasion of Pran Pratistha, Ayodhya-Lucknow, Ayodhya-Gorakhpur, Ayodhya-Prayagraj and Ayodhya-Varanasi highways have been converted into green corridors.

Parking arrangements have been made for VVIPs coming by their own helicopter and private chartered plane at Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham as well as airports of 12 cities of 5 states. Special guests from cricket world, film world, saint society, politics, art, literature and culture and other fields have also been invited for the ceremony.

The arrival of these guests has started in Ayodhya Dham. The Uttar Pradesh government has declared a holiday on January 22, while the central government has declared a half-day holiday till 2.30 pm. At the same time, many other states and establishments have also announced holidays.