AYODHYA: The week-long consecration rituals for the Ram temple here entered the fifth day with Vastu Puja on Saturday as the city of Ayodhya is all decked up to welcome 7000 distinguished guests for the final ceremony on Monday.
The boundaries of the temple town were sealed with a thick security blanket all over on Saturday. Security personnel from the SPG and various other agencies including paramilitary forces, central agencies, UP police, PAC along with commandos have been deployed in every nook and corner of Ayodhya.
While some of the guests have already reached Ayodhya, the majority of them including the representatives of 50 countries landed in the state capital Lucknow on Saturday to proceed to the temple town on Sunday.
As one proceeds to Ayodhya from Lucknow, the roads along the way give an idea of the mood, the atmosphere charged with a dash of spirituality resonating all through.
There are fluttering saffron flags marking the roads all through with the buildings on both sides of the roads replete with saffron banners and posters depicting Lord Ram in different forms from being a suave king of Ayodhya to serving an exile like a hermit and even an angry warrior ready to absorb the ocean with one arrow. However, the majority of the posters have one feature in common, the pictures of PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath in the corner.
Vehicles whizz past with Ram on flags fluttering boastfully through the green corridor created from Lucknow and other adjoining districts to Ayodhya for flawless and hassle-free movement of traffic towards the temple town.
As one reaches Ayodhya, the flyovers decorated with artworks of Lord Ram, donning his bow and arrow, and ornamental lampposts carrying designs themed on the traditional ‘Ramanandi tilak’ start emerging setting the tone and tenor of the temple town.
Big LED screens have been put up at various places across Ayodhya. If an incessant Ram Dhun is adding to spiritual vibes of the town, the bhajans with dhol and manjira are reverberating at temples, big and small, all across. The Ram Leela, Bhagwat Kathas, Bhajan sandhyas and cultural programmes are underway in different places across the city.
The day took off at 9 in the morning with ‘Adhivas’ of the new idol followed by Vastu Puja which dominated the day-long rituals.
The Vastu Puja was performed by Yajman Dr Anil Mishra and his wife Usha Mishra along with Alok Kumar, international officiating president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The new idol of Ram Lalla is resting in the sanctum sanctorum. On Saturday, the idol was kept in sugar under the ritual called Sharkaradhivas followed by Phaladhivas (resting in fruits) and Aushadhidhivas (resting in medicines). This was followed by putting the idol under shower with the medicated water collected in 81 urns and then it was kept resting in flowers as part of Pushpadhivas.
Meanwhile, a lock weighing 400 kg reached the temple town from Aligarh on Saturday, while members of the erstwhile royal family of Bihar's Darbhanga brought a golden 'mukut', bow and 'charan paduka' for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Kapileshwar Singh, a member of the erstwhile royal family, says, "Lord Ram's in-law's house is Mithila. We've brought golden 'mukut', bow and 'charan paduka' from Mithila."
