Ayodhya (UP): The Ram Temple Trust will organise a series of cultural and religious events in Ayodhya to celebrate the first anniversary of the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple.
Scheduled from January 11 to 13, the celebrations aim to include common people who were unable to attend the historic ceremony last year, alongside around 110 invited VIPs, according to the temple trust.
The celebrations will take place at various locations within the Ram Janmabhoomi premises.
Vedic rituals on the first day of the ceremony will start with the ‘Abhishek’ of Ram Lalla and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will preside over the ceremony.
The rituals will be performed on the lines of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22, 2024, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest.
The deity will be anointed with Panchamrit and Saryu water and a Maha Aarti will be performed at 12:20 pm. According to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust, around 110 VIPs have been invited to the event.
Common people will also be able to attend the ceremony on all three days at the Angad Tila. For them, a German hangar has been set up at the Angad Tila site to host 5,000 people. They will be able to attend classical cultural performances, rituals, and Ram Katha discourses organised daily in the mandap and yajnashala.
“The Trust has decided to invite common people, who could not attend the consecration ceremony last year. They will be allowed to attend the events on all three days at the Angad Tila,” said Champat Rai, general secretary, of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The CM will inaugurate a cultural program at the Angad Tila and address devotees. On the occasion, devotional songs by renowned artists, including Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan, and Malini Awasthi will also be released.
“The Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla will complete one year on January 11. As per the Hindu calendar, the day (January 11) will be Paush Shukla Paksha, Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2001,” said Rai.
Cultural events will be held across Ayodhya at key locations such as Lata Chowk, Janmabhoomi Path, Shringar Haat, Ram Ki Paidi, Sugriva Fort and Chhoti Devkali.
A three-day Shri Ram Raag-Seva program will be organised on the Ram Janmabhoomi campus. Artistes will present devotional offerings to Lord Ram through music, dance, and instrumental performances. Trust has invited sadhus and devotees from across the country.
January 11
The festival will open with a Raag Seva performance by renowned singer Usha Mangeshkar, sister of legendary Lata Mangeshkar, and accompanied by Mayuresh Pai, who will present devotional songs. Raag Seva is a classical tradition of offering musical compositions to the divine in various ragas.
This will be followed by a duet (jugalbandi) on sitar by Sahitya Nahar and violin by Santosh Nahar. The day will conclude with a Bharatnatyam dance performance by Ananda Shankar Jayant.
January 12
The second day will begin with Raga Seva by celebrated folk singer Shailesh Srivastava, featuring traditional Badhawa and Sohar melodies. Following this, classical vocalist Kalapini Komkali will perform Shri Ram Bhajans and Nirgun Gayan. The day will end with a flute recital by maestro Rakesh Chaurasia.
January 13
The festival’s final day will start with a classical vocal performance by acclaimed Aarti Ankalikar, followed by a Kathak performance by renowned dancer Shovana Narayan.
The day will also see classical singing and Ram Bhajans by South Indian brothers Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan famously known as ‘Trichur Brothers’.
