Raipur: In his address to the mega event of National Ramayana Festival, Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel said that Lord Shri Ram spent 10 years of his exile in Chhattisgarh. And during the exile, Shri Ram faced extreme hardships and difficulties but he never lost the sight of his moral values and dignity. The time he spent in the forests played an important role in his journey to become Maryada Purushottam, and in this way, Chhattisgarh also has a part in his character building.


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Chief Minister inaugurated the three-day 'National Ramayana Festival' today at a grand function organized at the historic Ramleela Maidan in the city of arts and literature, Raigarh. On this occasion, he said that our Chhattisgarh is the state of Mata Kaushalya and Mata Shabri. This is the land of tribals and forest dwellers who have been living here for centuries. When Shri Ram was supposed to be crowned as a King, he had to go on exile. During his exile, Shri Ram met Nishadraj, Shabri Mata and several sages and ascetics. We in Chhattisgarh relate to both 'Vanvasi Ram' as well as 'Kaushalya's Ram'. As Chhattisgarh is the birthplace of Mata Kaushalya, Shri Ram is considered as 'Bhancha' (nephew) in Chhattisgarh.


Chief Minister said that for the first time in the country, Ramayana Festival is being organized officially at the national-level in Chhattisgarh. Although it is a national event, but foreign teams like Cambodia and Indonesia are also participating, making this festival international. Chief Minister said- "Today I witnessed a beautiful march past at the National Ramayana festival. Meanwhile, I also observed the march past of 'Ramnami Sampraday Ka Ram'. They have dedicated their entire life to Shri Ram. They believe in the formless, as Kabir believes in the formless. In this way everyone has their own perception of 'Shri Ram'." Chief Minister said that the story of Shri Ram is enshrined in our hearts.... our day starts with 'Ram-Ram' and ends with 'Ram-Ram'. Each and every village of our state has its own Ramleela mandali. We feel deep affinity with Shri Ram because Shri Ram belongs to everyone, he belongs to Nishadraj, he belongs to Shabri.


Chief Minister further said that we have written a letter to the Chief Ministers of all those states where there are pilgrimage sites and we have requested for 2 acres of land there, so as to arrange for proper facilities for the pilgrims from Chhattisgarh to stay there. In addition, we are also developing our pilgrimage sites to provide better facilities to the pilgrims coming from other states. Chief Minister said that Lord Shri Ram spent most of his exile with the forest dwellers. We find an account of his connection with nature and forest dwellers in the Ramayana.


Chief Minister said that we have been organizing the National Tribal Festival for three years, with the objective to promote tribal culture. We have also been taking consolidated steps towards protection of Devgudis and Ghotuls. Addressing the residents of Raigarh, Chief Minister said that Raigarh has been one of the earliest witnesses of human culture, the rock paintings here show that the earliest cultural development of mankind were found here. This 'Sanskar-dhani' city has made significant progress in the field of art. We are working for the conservation of Kelo as well.


While presiding over the programme, Culture Minister Mr. Amarjeet Bhagat said that in these wonderful event, we have got the opportunity to learn about the ideal character of Shri Ram. It is a matter of pride for all of us that this mega event based on Aranyakand of Ramayana is being organized in Chhattisgarh. School Education Minister Mr. Premsai Singh Tekam said that this unique event is being organized on the initiative of Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel. Ram Katha inspires us to follow the ideals of Shri Ram. Higher Education Minister Mr. Umesh Patel said that through Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit Development Plan, Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has done a great job of developing places associated with Lord Shri Ram. Former Member of Parliament Shri Nand Kumar Sai, Mahant Shri Ramsunder Das, Chairman of Chhattisgarh Gau Seva Aayog also addressed the programme.


*Collective Recitation of Hanuman Chalisa organized*


On this occasion, Collective Recitation of Hanuman Chalisa was organized. Bhajan Singer Mr. Dilip Shadangi led the recitation while Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel and thousands of spectators joined in, worshiping Hanuman ji with great devotion. At the onset, the teams from different states and countries performed a march past. Teams from Indonesia and Cambodia enthralled the audience in their traditional attires. Members of the Ramnami sect also did a march past. The specialty of the Uttarakhand team was that it was led by Ravana. States like Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh etc. also performed. It is noteworthy that 270 artists from 12 states are participating in this event, which includes 70 artists from Chhattisgarh state and 27 artists from abroad.