LUCKNOW: Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das has appealed to devotees to celebrate Navratri/ Ram Navmi at their homes instead of thronging Ayodhya in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
“This crisis (virus scare) will be over in some days. We all must think in the larger interest of the nation and must take all precautions to check the spread of coronavirus,” added Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
The second-in-command at the trust Mahant Kakamnayan Das and the general secretary Champat Rai echoed Nritya Gopal saying the devotees should worship Lord Ram in their houses only.
The festival of Ram Navmi usually witnesses a rush of around 15 lakh devotees congregating in Ayodhya during the nine-day Navratri festival every year.
The trust was expecting a much bigger mela this year on April 2 as it will be the first Ram Navmi after the Supreme Court order paving the path for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
District collector Anuj Jha held a meeting with prominent saints of Ayodhya and issued an appeal to devotees against coming to Ayodhya.
The saint community in Ayodhya has requested Jha to live telecast Navratri puja ana aarti at Ram Janmabhoomi so that devotees could watch them from their homes.
On his part, Ayodhya DM assured that he would make all possible efforts to ensure the live telecast of Navratri puja at Ram Janmabhoomi.
Now, the shifting of Ram Lalla from the makeshift temple to another temporary temple within the Ram Janmabhoomi campus on the first day of Navratri (March 25) will likely to be a low key affair. CM Yogi Adityanath and members of the Sri Ram Janmabhomi Tirath Kshetra will attend the event where the CM is expected to lead the ceremony.
The deity will be shifted from the makeshift temple in a palanquin in the wee hours. CM Adityanath will be among four persons who will carry this palanquin to the new location which is a few meters away from the existing shrine.