As India Marks One-Month Anniversary of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Fervour Among Devotees Remains Unabated

Ayodhya: As the entire nation marks the one-month anniversary of the momentous Ram Mandir consecration in the holy city of Ayodhya, the fervour and enthusiasm among devotees to catch a glimpse of Ram Lalla during the pious 'darshan' inside the sanctum sanctorum, remains unabated, even to this date. Dressed in their own traditional outfits, devotees from across the length and breadth of the country gather at holding areas – approximately at a distance of about 12 kilometres from the Ram Mandir – from where they proceed towards the premises either in electric sleeper buses or e-rickshaws.

A confluence of devotees on Ram Path that leads towards the grand temple is a common sight in the region, with a barrage of devotees often seen walking towards the temple on the left side of the road and those returning from the temple on the other side.

A month after the mega consecration ceremony, festivities are in full-swing in the the holy city, wherein lakhs of devotees are reaching for darshan of Lord Ram's idol in the newly-constructed temple. 

A bustle of faith can be sensed in the air even from a distance of 10 kilometers, where buses ferrying devotees from far off places, line up along the roads.

Over 25 lakh devotees are believed to have visited the temple in the first-10 days of its inauguration, news agency PTI reported, citing officials of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

"We've received somewhere between one and two lakh devotees every day this month. Going by the estimates, the number of devotees who have visited the temple to this date stands at 50-60 lakh," Prakash Gupta, office in-charge of the temple trust, told PTI.

On the way towards the temple, chants of ‘Jai Sri Ram’, along with couplets from the Ramayana, fill up the atmosphere as most devotees are also seen walking bare feet in groups.  

Locals, especially teenagers, stand along the road carrying small tumblers filled with colour. On getting a nod from the devotees they dip three fingers in a yellow-coloured liquid before applying it on the foreheads of the pilgrims. They then dip an inch-long stencil with 'Ram' written in Hindi in a red-coloured liquid before placing the stencil in the middle of the marking made by the fingers before charging for it. With the name of Lord Ram marked on their forehead, devotees continue their walk towards the temple.

On Tuesday, a group from Maharashtra, with women in sarees –  tied in unique Nauvaree style – walking with men donning a white shirt over a white lungi, paired with a white Gandhi cap, walked behind a group from Rajasthan. The large bright-coloured turbans donned by the men and the bright-coloured sarees of the women from the desert state contrasted with a group from Uttarakhand in which the men wore a pahadi topi and women walked in their long skirts, the PTI report said.

Noteworthily, not only politicians from across party lines, but Bollywood stars too have thronged the temple for the holy darshan, with the most-recent instance being that of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwat Mann, when the duo visited the temple along with their families.

Earlier, on February 11, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also visited the temple along with the members of UP Vidhan Sabha. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also visited the temple with his cabinet on Tuesday.

After about a two-kilometre walk, the crowd of devotees turns into a queue only to be directed by the police personnel posted on the path leading towards the temple. Devotees fold their hands, raise it above their head and bow in devotion in front of the diol as they move ahead.

"Mera saalon ka sapna poora ho gaya (My years' long dream has been fulfilled). I never thought I would be able to see Lord Ram inside a temple in my lifetime, but my wish has been fulfilled," 59-year-old native of Tonk district in Rajasthan, Subhash Kumawat, told PTI.

In an apparent desire to spend a few more moments in close proximity to the lord, the pace of the queue slows a bit after crossing the sanctum sanctorum.  

According to locals, the duration for wait could be anywhere between one and four hours in the queue, depending on the time of the day for the darshan of the Ram idol.

"I felt like sitting before Lord Ram and spending a few more minutes inside the temple. But I got a chance to see Lord Ram, what else can I desire for," Manshi Karmakar, a home maker from Pune, reportedly said.

The emotions also reflect the thoughts of other devotees as they walk out of the temple and move towards Ram Path to return home with Lord Ram in their hearts.