Ayodhya gets ready for Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan on August 5; know the programs scheduled for today

The puja ceremonies for Ram temple Bhoomi pujan has already started in the holy city of Ayodhya on Tuesday (August 4). The ceremony began with offering special prayers to Lord Hanuman at Hanumangarhi as a part of an old tradition of ‘Nishan Puja’ in Hindu rituals.

The Nishan Pujan was conducted by the priests at the Hanumangarhi around 9 AM. The Nishan Pujan will be followed by Ram Archana which will be held in the Ram Janmabhoomi campus today for 5 hours.

Ram Charan Pujan will also be held in the temple premises. It is believed that Lord Rama will be pleased through ‘Ram Charan Pujan. For pleasing the deity, ‘Ram Charan' is worshiped in a special way. Noted saints from Varanasi, Ayodhya, Delhi, Haridwar and South India have been invited for ‘Ram Charan Pujan.’

Elaborating on the importance of Ramarchan Pujan, Satyanarayan Das, the priest reciting mantras in the pujan said, "In our Vaishnav mode of prayers, Ramarchan prayers are taken from Bhavishtottar Khand. Before Lord Ram arrives, we invite and worship every important god and goddess. These gods and goddesses would acknowledge Lord Ram as their `Ishth` (god of worship). It is after praying to them, we begin prayers of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita."

Besides Lord Rama, prayers are also being offered to King Dasharatha, Queen Kaushalya during 'Ram Archana'. Special prayers are also being held for all those who helped Lord Ram during the epic war with the demon king 'Ravana' like - Hanuman, Nal & Neel, Sugriva, Jamwant and Vibhishan.

On Monday, Lord Ganesh prayers were conducted as part of the religious ceremonies ahead of main Bhoomi Pujan.

Barricades are already in place in the temple town and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued an appeal, asking only those invited for Wednesday's Bhoomi Pujan ceremony to come to Ayodhya.

Among the 175 people are invited for the Bhoomi puja ceremony out of which 135 are saints who belong to many spiritual traditions. 

Meanwhile, the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust has asked devotees to organise bhajans and kirtans in places outside Ayodhya to mark the auspicious day, while following guidelines related to Covid-19 in mind.