BHUBANESWAR: While Ayodhya witnessed history with the consecration of Ram Lalla on Monday, the state celebrated the momentous occasion by organising prayers, distributing sweets and taking out processions depicting Lord Ram’s life.
All the towns and cities including twin city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar were caught in the wave of devotion. At Nayagarh, ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of a new Ram Mandir was also organised on the day while at Sambalpur, more than a lakh clay lamps were lit in the evening.
In Cuttack, Ram temples were chock-a-block with devotees since early morning. While bhajan samarohs were organised at Raghunathjew, Gopinath and Shyam Baba temples and sweets distributed among joyous devotees, many apartments and colonies in the city put up small tents and arranged TVs outside to watch the Ram Mandir ceremony together.
It was a Diwali-like celebration at Nayasarak where many shops lit ‘diyas’ and burst crackers to mark the historic event. Religious processions carrying kids adorning traditional attires of Lord Shri Ram, Maa Sita, Lord Hanuman and other characters of Ramayana continued throughout the day.
Like Cuttack, capital city Bhubaneswar was clad in saffron hues in wake of the grand consecration ceremony. Thousands of devotees thronged the Ram Mandir in Janpath to offer their prayers to Lord Ram amidst elaborate arrangements made by the temple trust for a grand celebration of the special occasion.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to citizens of the country to illuminate ‘Shri Ram Jyoti’, many families also lit ‘diyas’ and decorated their houses with ‘rangoli’. ‘Ram bhajans played out in many of the temples in Old Town where devotees lit thousands of lamps near Tinimundia Chhak. In Sambalpur, 1,11,111 diyas were lit at the Ayodhya Sarovar Ghat of Mahanadi along the Ring road. Members of the Marwadi Yuva Manch held ‘Ram Leela’ at Gandhi Marg near the Ring road. Similarly in Berhampur, Sri Ramcharitamanas and Sundarakand were recited at temples and big screens were installed at many places for live viewing of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony. A replica of Ravan was set afire in the evening.
At Fatehgarh in Nayagarh, a new Ram Mandir was inaugurated atop the Giri Govardhan hill earlier in the morning. Constructed as per Kalingan style of architecture, the temple is 78-ft high and has idols of Lord Ram, Devi Sita, Laxman and Lord Hanuman installed in the sanctum sanctorum.
Close to 600 sculptors from Odagaon constructed the temple in the last seven years. Head of Sri Rama Seba Parishad Trust Tapan Pattnaik, who oversaw the construction, said close to five lakh devotees offered prayers in the temple on the day.
Meanwhile, a group of ‘mardala’ players from the state participated in the ‘Mangal Dhwani’ rendition during the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya. Mardala was among the 50 musical instruments chosen from 18 states for the grand musical rendition by Ayodhya’s celebrated poet Yatindra Mishra. The rendition was supported by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
CM watches consecration ceremony
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik watched the live telecast of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, at Naveen Nivas in Bhubaneswar. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Naveen wrote, “Witnessed the auspicious Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha being held at Ayodhya. Delighted to see the nation coming together with religious fervour for the Pran Pratistha.”
He was accompanied by the chairman of 5T and Navin Odisha VK Pandian. On the occasion, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the inauguration ceremony of Shri Badrinarayan Dev temple in Salepur Malihata village of Cuttack district. Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasinghadeb attended the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya.