Temples across US gear up for Ram mandir festivities

Washington: Hundreds of temples dotted across the United States are gearing up to celebrate the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya next week, with thousands of Indian Americans likely to attend a series of events beginning this week.

“Ayodhya is re-emerging from destruction and neglect, epitomising the eternal nature of Sanātana Dharma. The upcoming consecration at Ram Lalla Mandir after 550 years is bringing immense joy to the city and nearly a billion Hindus across the world,” Kalyan Viswanathan, president of the Hindu University of America said in a blog post.

The consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya temple will be held on January 22.

The construction of Lord Ram’s temple at Ayodhya Dham, after a wait of 500 years, marks an important day of faith and celebration for Hindus worldwide said Kapil Sharma from the Shri Sita Ram Foundation in Texas, which has organised Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Pran Pratishtha celebration at its temple in Houston.

The celebration will begin with the Sundarkand, followed by cultural programmes of dance, singing, and music. This will be followed by a havan and Lord Ram’s Pattabhishek, culminating in a procession of Lord Ram and prasad (food) distribution.

“We are also honoured to distribute prasad and raj (holy dust) from Ayodhya Dham, which is being flown in especially for our event,” Sharma said.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore is scheduled to attend a Ram Mandir celebration event in a suburb of Washington DC on Saturday. A few Pakistani Americans are also joining festivities in the Greater Washington DC area.

“The long-awaited dream of millions of followers of Lord Sri Rama is about to become a reality,” said Amitabh Mittal from Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, the organisation which is leading the nationwide festivities in the United States. There are around 1,000 temples in the US, and almost all of them are having celebrations, beginning this weekend, to commemorate the historic occasion.

Washington DC chapter of VHPA has organised a car rally, love dhole tashe, Shri Ram Puja along with dazzling cultural performances at a high school in the Maryland suburb of the national capital.

Car rallies are being organised in more than 20 cities with the largest one being in the Bay Area, California, where more than 600 cars are expected to participate.

“The devotees of Lord Rama will hold a car rally in the San Francisco area to mark the occasion, the rally will be accompanied by images of Lord Rama on digital mobile trucks and melodious hymns about him,” said Deepti Mahajan.

VHP-America has also rented outdoor spaces in various parts of the country to display the Ram temple consecration ceremony on big billboards in cities like Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. To commemorate the occasion, Sony is showcasing Srimad Ramayana in Times Square on January 21.