Due to Pandemic, Not Much Excitement in City in Celebrating the Historic Ayodha Bhoomi Puja
Mangaluru: In less than three hours, around 1 pm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the lead in laying the foundation stone of the “grand” Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, today, 5 August. The spectacle will mark Modi taking political ownership of the promise the party has been making in its manifesto since 1996. The Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra has begun preparations for the event and the “Bhoomi Puja” will be performed with much grandeur, albeit with tight security arrangements and safety protocols in place, especially due to the raging coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak.
Being the birthplace of Lord Ram, Ayodhya has a special place in the hearts of Indians and the people living in the coastal belt of Karnataka are ecstatic about the fact that finally, a temple dedicated to Lord Ram is coming up there. People are planning to light up rows of diyas to celebrate the moment on the lines of the festival of lights. But as of this morning, there’s not much excitement in Mangaluru- you can hardly see any banners, hoardings, buntings, whatsoever, to mark the celebration of the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Mandir, apart from a couple of advertisements released by BJP netas wishing the Puja all success, in a Kannada newspaper. Team Mangalorean this morning, among many temples in the City, made a visit to three prominent temples, and noticed there were no religious ceremonies, nor had any devotees visiting the temples.
The scene at Kadri Shri Manjunatha Temple was dull, as there were hardly any devotees- and during the 8 am puja, as per a temple priest, special prayers were offered for the success of Ayodha Ram Mandir. One more puja is planned later in the day at the Kadri Temple, when PM Modi lays the foundation stone in Ayodha, according to a temple staff. Other than that, the City has remained sombre on this special day of Ram Mandir Puja, which is scheduled between 11:40 am and 1:00 pm. Arrangements have been made for Direct telecast of the event. Devotees are requested to chant the name of Lord Ram and offer special pujas at homes, temples, Maths and other places. They are also requested to hoist the Bhagwa Dhwaj (flag) atop their vehicles on this day, as per press release from Vishwa Hindu Parishad local Secretary, Sharan Pumpwell, Dakshina Kannada district BJP president, Sudarshan Moodbidri, and BJP Udupi district president, Kuilady Suresh Nayak.
A few days ago, Bajrang Dal, VHP and other saffron organizations had planned various celebrations and roadshows to mark this historic celebration, but all in vain, since the new Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar has issued an order, enforcing prohibitory orders from 8 pm on August 4 to 6 am on August 6 within the police commissionerate limits under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, in order to maintain law and order situation on the occasion of Bhoomi Puja at Ayodhya. Apart from that, not much outdoor celebration could also be done because of the pouring rain, and also that a Red Alert has been issued by the meteorological dept for DK, including Mangaluru.
Scenes at Sri Manjunatha Temple-Kadri today morning at 8 am
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader, Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, speaking to media had said that the country has finally got the good fortune of beginning the construction of a temple for Lord Ram at Ayodhya, which he hoped, might pave way for implementing the concept of Ram Rajya (welfare state) in the country. He said that this occasion will also make the souls of people who sacrificed their lives for this cause contented. It is learnt that the ‘Bhoomi Puja’ ceremony in Ayodhya at the site for the proposed Ram temple on August 5 will be telecast live by public broadcaster Doordarshan. However, the grand ceremony would be a low key event with a limited number of guests due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration has already begun ramping up the security arrangements ahead of the big event.
With No Devotees, a Kadri Temple Priest reads Newspaper to pass time!
As per the latest report by a news agency, nearly 1 lakh 11 thousand laddoos have been prepared for puja, as offerings. Made with gram flour, desi ghee and crystal sugar, these Besan Laddoos will be packed in a steel tiffin box and distributed on the occasion. For the grand ceremony, a waterproof pandal setup is being prepared which can accommodate 200 people, and the walls of the premises are being painted with scenes from Ramayana. As per reports, on 5th August, from 8 am till 10 pm at night, the mythological show Jai Shri Ram will be telecasted in English and Hindi at Times Square.
Nearly 1 lakh 11 thousand Besan Laddoos prepared for distribution after Ram Mandir Puja
With the celebration of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Puja, seems like the ruling BJP has delivered on its key ideological promises in the first year of its second tenure. The issue of Ram temple is no longer a polarising one as most parties have either welcomed the Supreme Court order to give the disputed land to the Hindu community or silently accepted the decision. The temple building will also coincide with Hindu bodies, particularly the VHP, launching a nationwide movement to collect money from 10 crore Hindu families for the temple construction, to ensure maximum participation.
Will the following statement be a laughing factor or could be real, at a time massive preparation is going on for the Bhoomi puja of Ram Temple, BJP MP from Dausa Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan Jaskaur Meena on Monday claimed that novel coronavirus will end as soon as Ram temple is constructed in Ayodhya. Saying that the solution for the COVID-19 outbreak is the construction of Ram Temple, she said it will be destroyed in no time after Ram Temple is built in Ayodhya. Wow, wouldn’t be great news for all of us if it happens, before the REAL vaccine comes out to combat the virus- until then let’s keep our fingers crossed, and chant “Go Corona Go, Corona Go”- and if possible, Taali Bhajao?
