Ram Darbar at Ayodhya temple to be open for devotees from June 6 Officials

    Lucknow/Ayodhya, Apr 9 (PTI) The Ram temple at Ayodhya will see the installation of a "Ram Darbar" during a three-day ceremony next month, though it would only be open to devotees from June 6, officials said on Wednesday.
    Ram Temple Construction Committee chief Nripendra Mishra confirmed the darbar schedule to PTI, though he cautioned against describing the event as "pran pratistha" (consecration ceremony), noting that it will not be of the same scale as that of the mega temple opening on January 22, 2024.
    A three-day ceremony would accompany the installation of the Ram Darbar on the temple's first floor, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra general secretary Champat Rai told reporters in Ayodhya. He said the ceremony will have rituals like "Jal-vas", "Anna-vas", "Aushadhi-vas" and "Shaiyya-vas".
    The event will also mark the completion of the temple's construction, which started in 2020. The Ram Lalla consecration in 2024 was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    "The pran pratistha of Ram Lalla has already been held at the ground floor of the temple in 2024. Now is the turn of Raja Ram (Ram as a king) to be placed at the Ram Darbar on the first floor. So it is expected that (the idols of) Lord Ram along with that of his brothers and goddess Sita will arrive in Ayodhya and be installed at the temple's first floor on May 23," Mishra told PTI over the phone.
    "When Lord Ram's idols are placed in his darbar, it is obvious that it would follow a religious ceremony. There would be a puja but it would not be right to refer to it as consecration as the consecration has already happened in 2024. Different kinds of pujas would be held before the Ram Darbar is thrown open to devotees. The pujas would conclude on June 5," Mishra said.
    The dates May 23 and June 5 have their own auspicious planetary alignments, so it has been decided to have the installation done on May 23 and subsequently, declare the Ram Darbar open on June 6, after a puja on June 5, he added.
    The nearly-five-foot Ram statue carved in white marble in Jaipur is part of the Ram Darbar, which will also feature the idols of Sita, Lakshman, Bharat, Shatrughan and Hanuman. Mishra said the entire ceremony would be a "close religious affair".
    He said the temple's second floor would also be completed simultaneously, though the building of the compound wall will take some more months. However, by June 6, seven other temples outside the Ram temple, like the Maharishi Valmiki temple, would be ready, he added.
    Asked if it would be another big ceremony akin to the consecration event, Mishra said it would not be of the same scale but added that these aspects would be decided upon by the Ram temple trust.
    In Ayodhya, Rai said a three-day ceremony would be held to mark the installation of the Ram Darbar at the first floor of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
    The event will include rituals like "Jal-vas", "Anna-vas", "Aushadhi-vas" and "Shaiyya-vas", beginning two days before the main day, he said.
    According to a statement issued by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Samvad Kendra, the trust secretary said arrangements are underway to prepare the garments and ornaments for the idols, which would be brought to Ayodhya in a phased manner after April 15. The idols, made of heavy white Makrana marble, will be installed at their designated places.
    A total of 18 idols are expected to arrive from Jaipur, including those of Maharishi Valmiki, Gurus Vashishtha and Vishwamitra, sages Agastya, Nishadraj, Shabari, Ahilya and others for the "Saptamandap". The idol of Saint Tulsidas has already been installed. Rai added that by April-end, the tower crane currently on the site will be removed, after which the construction of the remaining sections of the northern and southern "parikotas" (boundary walls) will resume.
    He also shared details of the Surya Tilak system for Balak Ram Lalla, stating that the idea was originally conceived by the prime minister. Rai also mentioned the extensive paperwork, laboratory testing and physical execution of the project carried out by a team of scientists.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)