Ram Rajya Coming, Pran Pratishtha, 2024 Elections Both Will Be 'Shubh': Temple Chief Priest

This new year, 2024, will be significant as Ram Lalla will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the general elections will be held, and both will be "shubh (auspicious)," the Ram temple's chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said.

Speaking to PTI at his residence in the Ramghat area of the city on Monday, the octogenarian praised the development work happening in Ayodhya.

"Not just peace; 'Ram Rajya' is coming. Ram Lalla will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum," he said, and he quoted a couplet: "Ram Raj baithe trialoka, harshit bhai, gaye sab shoka."

"Grief, pain, and tension will cease to exist, and everyone will be happy," he said.

"Ram Rajya" is a term used to refer to an ideal of governance where everyone is happy.

"My greetings and blessings to all countrymen on the New Year. Ram Lalla will be offered 'Chhapan Bhog', and 'prasad' will be offered," he said, shortly before heading for the Ramjanmabhoomi temple site to perform the 'aarti'.

As per the customs, 'Bhog aarti' is performed at noon. A 'Chappan Bhog' is offered to Ram Lalla on special occasions such as Holi, Ramnavmi, Basant Panchami, New Year, Independence Day, and Republic Day, his side said.

"So, the new year will be very good," said the Ram temple's chief priest.

The 'Chhappan Bhog' offered to Ram Lalla on Monday had come in a specially made box bearing a design that depicted Lord Ram and the upcoming temple, from a very old shop in Lucknow, his aide said, adding that it has been coming from the very same place for the last few years.

"This New Year is very significant, and it is significant because in this month, on January 22, Ram Lalla will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum (of the under-construction temple), and this will be very beneficial for the people of the country," Acharya Das said.

Meanwhile, in Ayodhya, organisers began distributing worshipped 'akshat'-rice grains mixed with turmeric and ghee-on New Year's Day, and this will continue up to January 15, a week before the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple.

Ayodhya rang in the New Year on December 31 night, amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' as many residents and others had gathered at the iconic Lata Mangeshkar Chowk near Naya Ghat.

A large number of people took holy dips in the Saryu river on the New Year, while others visited the Ramjanmabhoomi temple to have a 'darshan' of Ram Lalla, as well as the Hanumangarhi temple to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman.

Asked about the further construction of the Ram temple this year, Das said, "A lot of work is to be done in 2024. One is that Ram Lalla will be seated in the sanctum sanctorum. And Lok Sabha elections will also take place in this year, 2024, and all these will be 'shubh (auspicious) and good." The consecration ceremony will take place a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Prime Minister Narendra 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.

On August 5, 2020, he performed the 'bhoomipujan' ceremony in Ayodhya for the upcoming temple.

Settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court, in a historic verdict in 2019, backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

On December 6, 1992, a mob of kar sewaks gathered in the holy town from different parts of the country to demolish the mosque, triggering communal violence in many parts of the country.

While much has changed in Ayodhya since the landmark verdict, the Ram temple issue and the history of the dispute continue to weigh on the minds of many people.

Asked if lasting peace will return to Ayodhya after the construction of the Ram temple, Das, the Ram temple's chief priest, said, "Development is happening in Ayodhya. The airport has come up, a new railway station (building) has been built, and Ram Path has been developed. Many such roads are proposed, and through these projects, Ayodhya will be seen in its grand form. People will come and have 'darshan'. It is a very auspicious month (January), and it may bode well for everyone, which is my blessing."