AYODHYA: After spending an anxious Saturday, the town of Ayodhya woke up to a joyous mood on Sunday, with Hindus turning up in large numbers to visit the site where Supreme Court has paved the way for the construction of Ram Mandir.
At the same time the mood among the town’s Muslims, despite it being Eid-Milad-ul-Nabi when Muslims celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad, was markedly more subdued.
TNIE went up to the Ramjanmbhoomi site after crossing more than half a dozen security pickets, just within a radius of 200 metres. Both joy and relief were palpable as people queued to catch a glimpse of ‘Ram Lalla’, seated in a makeshift darshan sthal. Personnel of UP police and CRPF, deployed in thousands, to guard the sensitive area, said the number of devotees visiting Ramjanmbhoomi on Sunday had jumped up compared to the footfall during the last few days.
While ensuring devotees carried absolutely nothing, besides their wallet, to the site, a local police constable said, “There have been times when as many as 12,000 people have come here for Darshan but the numbers were very low in the last few days. Today, we can see a substantial increase in the number of devotees.”
Similar excitement could be felt in rest of Ayodhya, especially at Karyashala and Karsevakpuram, which house models of the proposed Ram Janmabhoomi temple at the once-disputed site.
Chief caretaker of the model at Karsevakpuram Hazari Lal began his day with the daily ritual of cleaning the model. “I now wish to live till the day when I place the model in its actual place — the Ram Mandir.”
Hanuman Yadav, an office-bearer of VHP and in charge of Karyashala, echoed a similar sentiment. At the Karyashala, where several blocks of stones and bricks are piled up, Yadav pointed to a brick from Southampton, UK, having “Shri Ram” inscribed on and said Hindus all over are rooting for the temple. Around him, renovation work is on for building a bigger gate at the Karyashala. Yadav said “little” changes were being made to ensure more devotees can visit the Karyashala. “A new platform has been made to place the temple’s model here to facilitate parikrama. The actual temple construction will take a few years so we are making changes here for now.”
Leaving Karsevakpuram, people in Rikabganj area and Ramkot could be seen flipping through newspapers to understand the nuances of the Supreme Court judgment. The markets were buzzing with activity as all shops were open on Sunday.
Suresh Chauhan, a utensil shop owner said, “This is not just the return of Ram Lalla to Ayodhya but also the beginning of development in Ayodhya. Everybody is happy.”