15,000-Litre 'Hanuman Kadhai' To Reach Ayodhya, Chef To Prepare 'Ram Halwa'

A massive 15,000-litre cauldron is being built in Nagpur for preparing Ram Halwa - a sweet dish named after Lord Ram - as an offering to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. It is called 'Hanuman kadhai', after the closest devotee of Lord Ram, and can be lifted only using a crane.

The 'Hanuman kadhai' stands 6.5 feet from the ground, including its stand, and is 15 feet in diameter. The 1,800 kg cauldron and will be transported to Ayodhya and will remain there.

"7,000 kg 'Ram halwa' will be prepared in this kadhai in Ayodhya to celebrate Lord Ram's return to his house after 500 years. This will be done around January 29-31," popular chef Vishnu Manohar, who had commissioned the kadhai, told NDTV.

The Ram temple in Ayodhya will open its doors on January 22 after a grand consecration ceremony to be headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The rituals for the event has already begun.

Read more | 2100-Kg Bell, 108-Feet-Long Incense Stick Among Gifts Reaching Ram Temple

Mr Manohar said he had proposed to make this offering before the temple authorities, who allowed him to go ahead with it after January 26.

"The kadhai will be Nagpur's symbol in Ayodhya. The temple movement started here in the heart of India. This kadhai will remain in Ayodhya and we'll make halwa there every year," he added.

Besides this 1,800 kg 'Hanuman kadhai', a 2,100-kg bell, a 108-foot incense stick, a 1,100-kg giant lamp, and a 10-foot lock and key are among the gifts set to illustrate the grandeur of the big ceremony.