Nepal: Janaki temple illuminated on eve of Pran Pratistha at Ram temple

Janakpurdham [Nepal], January 21 : The Janaki Temple in Nepal's Janakpur is illuminated with lights as people are keen to celebrate the Pran Pratistha of Ram Lalla in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya set to take place on Monday.

Janakpur, the home of the in-laws of Ram Lalla is gearing up its preparation to celebrate Monday with fanfare and gaiety organizing Deepawali submerging the city with decorative lights and show.

Speaking to ANI, Pramod Kumar Chaudhary, former chairman of the Shree Ram Youth Committee, said, "Raja Ramchandra after the Banbas (exile) in Tretayuga, the pain he had to endure; it continued in Kaliyuga as well, he had to struggle for five hundred years in Ayodhya- the birth land of Lord Ram, he had to shelter under the tarpaulin, his pain indeed was the pain of all the Hindus. Our ancestors had fought and struggled hard and the end result is here with the construction of temple of Maryadapurush Lord Ram whose Pran Pratistha is scheduled for tomorrow. On this occasion, I congratulate all the Indian nationals and Janakpur also is in state of joyousness."
With less than 24 hours left for the Pran Pratistha ceremony, the holy city of Ayodhya has decked up with lights. Janaki Sena (Army), a youth group led a campaign to collect donations in the form of oil, cotton lamps, clay pots as they aim to light two hundred and fifty thousand oil-fed lamps.

Speaking to ANI, Asutosh Jha, one of the members of organizing committee, said, "Residents of Janakpur and Mithila are extending their support providing oil, lamps, clay items along with other items of necessity which we would require to make our campaign successful. Despite the nightfall, people still have been signing themselves up for the donation of oil which ranges from one liter to the highest as per their capacity."
According to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple trust, Varanasi priest Lakshmi Kant Dixit will officiate the main rituals during the Pran Pratistha of Ram Lalla. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the event, thousands of politicians, saints, and celebrities, have been invited to the ceremony.
The idol of Lord Ram has been placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in Ayodhya. The idol of 'Ram Lalla' is carved by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj. The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.
From Nepal's Janakpur, the Chief Mahanth along with the Chotte Mahanth have been invited for the ceremony and have already set off for Ayodhya. Earlier, Janakpur sent offerings locally called Bhaar to Ayodhya as a part of the ritual, which included ornaments, cuisines, clothes and other daily essentials.
Janakpur, maternal home of Goddess Sita is also set to hold a slew of events on the day of Pran Pratistha. As it plans to hold Deepawali on Monday evening, artists will make "Rangoli" using colours as well as flowers. The collection drive to light up about 2,50,000 oil-fed lamps is underway with over 2500 litres of mustard oil already collected for Deepawali on Monday evening.
The week-long rituals for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya entered their sixth day today, marking another significant step in the auspicious event on Monday. The day commenced with the daily puja of the deities, a practice central to the ongoing Pran Pratishtha rituals.
"Today's puja ritual started with the havan and the idol of Ram Lalla was kept in Madhyadhivas today. Night Jagran Adhivas will also start today itself. The worship of the old idol of Ram Lalla is also going on in the Yagyashala. The rituals of worship are being performed with various flowers procured from many places, including Chennai and Pune," the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra stated on Sunday.
In today's puja, Anil Mishra, along with his family, the President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), RN Singh and others, performed the puja rituals.