Preparations ahead of the dedication ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Sunday
A vibrantly lit Ayodhyadham, its buildings, highways and streets decorated with marigold flowers, troupes dancing on stages built on two sides of the four-lane Ram Path, and speakers installed on street lights blaring in the temple town bhajans have paved the way for the pran pratishthaor dedication ceremony, of the Ram Mandir on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the rituals on Monday after which the shrine will be opened to the public a day later.
There are about 7,000 people on the long list of invitees to the ceremony. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, business magnates Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, and sports icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are among the VVIPs invited for the event. While many are expected to fly in their jets on Monday morning, some cinema personalities had already arrived in the temple town on Sunday.
While the government of Uttar Pradesh deployed enormous resources of men and materials to make the event a success, some of the more emotional devotees, who had flocked to Ayodhya from across the country to witness the ceremony of a long-cherished dream , the feeling that the atmosphere had changed. they on Treta Yuguntil the day when Lord Ram returned to reclaim his kingdom.
Locals were thrilled by the promise of a ‘New Ayodhya’, the rapid development the city of an estimated 3 million residents has seen since 2022.
Most opposition leaders have decided to stay away from PM Modi’s afternoon ceremony and subsequent speech, which would allow him to detail his government’s contribution to achieving of the objectives. on one of the core agendas of the Sangh Parivar.
The medians of the roads have cutouts for Lord Ram, while on both sides there are huge billboards of Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, detailing the ~31,000 crore worth of development work, the ‘Modi guarantees’ or the announcement of the dedication ceremony. Only the Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust’s hoardings, which are few and far between, acknowledge the contribution of Mahant Avaidyanath, Ramachandra Paramhans and others. The Maharashtra government has set up some hoardings at Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, in recognition of the support Bal Thackeray’s movement received. Behind the billboards also lie the centuries-old dilapidated buildings of ‘old’ Ayodhya.
The Sangh Parivar has tried to balance the social equations. It was announced on Saturday that 15 couples from other Backward Classes (OBCs), tribes, Sikhs and others, including Varanasi’s Dom Raja, will also be the yajaman at the ceremony, along with Modi, Adityanath and others. “It is a festival of Hindu unity, a national festival,” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) All India Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar told Business Standard.
In its last cabinet meeting, the Adityanath government passed the state’s 2024 superconductor policy, increased the support price for sugarcane as a “gift” on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony and approved new private educational institutions to send a message that they will accelerate the development heralded. while it is attributed to tradition. “Vikas bhi virasat bhi,” reads a billboard with the Prime Minister’s cutout outside the sprawling media center near Ram Katha Park. The roads are also littered with statues of characters from Ramayana – of Ahilya, Shabari and others.
The local administration has approached Muslims in the city to allay their fears of any untoward incidents. In a letter to the state police in which Muslim religious organizations expressed concern over law and order problems given the large number of outsiders coming to the city, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Alok Kumar pointed out the minority, which makes up 14.5 percent of the district. , had nothing to fear and benefited from the versatile development.
“This is not new but dates back to the days of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Muslims of Ayodhya are people of Shri Ram as almost all of them are associated with the temples here and earn their livelihood by making clothes, jewelry and other items required to worship Lord Ram. There is no conflict here,” he said.
Retailers have witnessed an increase in sales, including florists, several of whom are Muslims, one of whom admits he and his family were a little nervous, but mainly because of the influx of outsiders in recent days. Men on motorcycles chanting Jai Sri Ram slogans are often seen.
Sanjay Gupta, owner of Kirti Bakers at Ram ki Paidi, says he has started stocking products like a brand of premium waffles or energy drinks, a hit among sadhus and young men alike, which were previously in low demand. “The class of tourists coming to Ayodhya has changed since 2022-23. “If I used to stock up on confectionery such as cream rolls and pastries that I would sell for ~5 or ~10, I now get better quality ‘puddings’ and confectionery that are twice as expensive,” he said.
Brand new refrigerators from beverage companies could be found in several stores, as well as announcements from banks that they would soon open ATMs in the area. Signs around the city are uniform, as are the colors and art on their shutters. Near Hanumangarhi, workers are busy painting the floor with saffron, while a khadi shop, offering discounts, is doing brisk business in yellow and saffron scarves, jackets and shirts.
Some shopkeepers have suffered from the widening of roads and construction activities, but say they are waiting for the promised compensation. The two dozen hotels have done good business. The government has set up ‘tent cities’ that can accommodate 8,000 pilgrims, and food is prepared for almost 2,000 people every day. Multi-storey parking complexes, electronic buses and golf carts to transport pilgrims have also been completed or are in the works.
“As a local, I am amazed at the development that has taken place in recent years. It’s like a dream. Like any dream, you fear it will end. Hopefully this one won’t. But the government needs to plan for the future so that development is sustainable,” said Shailendra Kumar, professor at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University.