As Ayodhya gears up for the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the Ram Temple on January 22, 2024, the temple town is witnessing an overhaul for the big day. The narrow lanes of Ayodhya that once echoed with the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages now resonate with the quiet whirr of eco-friendly vehicles.
As one takes a walk outside the entrance of Ram Mandir, which is under construction, a swamp of e-rickshaws can be seen taking tourists around the streets of the once-sleepy town of Ayodhya. With Ayodhya seeing a huge influx of tourists as the date of inauguration approaches, many youngsters have purchased new e-rickshaws with the hope of earning more money during this period.
"I used to rent an e-rickshaw but now have bought one a week ago on a monthly EMI of Rs 4,000. My income has now doubled to Rs 800-Rs 1,000 per day, " says 31-year-old Mohammed Arif.
Elaborating on how the city is witnessing a flurry of changes ahead of the consecration ceremony, he says, "There has been an increase in tourists, and crores of people will visit here. I never thought Ayodhya would become like this."
Another e-rickshaw driver, Shravan Kumar, explains how using e-rickshaws keeps the city free of pollution.
"I have been running an e-rickshaw for the past five months now. With the Ram Temple inauguration date coming near, people now want to travel in e-rickshaws. It doesn't cause any pollution. Earlier, we used to earn Rs 400-500 and now earn around Rs 700-800," he said.
Ayodhya is also seeing an uptick in the sale of e-rickshaws. "I am able to sell around 20-22 units of e-rickshaws now. Earlier, it was only 10-12 units," says Mohit Singh, e-rickshaw seller, the owner of Gauri Enterprises.
However, with the inevitable rise of e-rickshaws in Ayodhya, the tongas of the city seem to be on their last legs. 70-year-old Bhagwati, apparently the last tonga wala in the town, races against time to compete with the e-rickshaws amid rapid urbanization.
Fondly known as 'Bhagwati Baggi Wala', he explains how e-rickshaws have cast a shadow on the timeless practice of tonga carts.
"'The way there are e-rickshaws right now, there used to be e-rickshaws are fast. They are more economical and that's why people have chosen this," he says.
Bhagwati, who earns merely Rs 300-400 per day, says he is still driving the tonga to keep the tradition of Lord Ram's birthplace alive.
"I do this to keep the practice alive. This is Lord Ram's birthplace. I will never ride an e-rickshaw. I don't like it. I like animals," he adds.
An eco-friendly golf cart service has been started in Ayodhya ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, reported news agency ANI. The service has been started by the Uttar Pradesh government with the view of equipping Ayodhya with a zero-carbon emission E-vehicle transport facility.
The consecration of Ram Lalla in the newly built temple in Ayodhya will take place at 12.20 pm on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in the consecration ceremony.
PM Modi visited the temple town on December 30 during which he held a roadshow, inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya railway station and the newly built airport, and laid the foundation stone for a slew of other projects.
