Bihar celebrates Ram temple consecration with special prayers, processions

Patna: Special prayers at various temples were held and processions were taken out in Bihar's capital Patna on Monday as part of the celebrations of the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya.

Temples have been decorated with flowers, while thousands of 'diyas' would be lit up in the evening to mark the occasion.

Women devotees of Lord Ram with religious flags started 'kirtan' (devotional songs) at the Hanuman Mandir in Priyadarshi Nagar on Bailey Road here while Sri Krishna Pranami Temple took out a religious procession with many people carrying ‘Kalash’.

As many as 108 women devotees hit the street carrying the Ramayana on their heads, temple convener Sukhdev Pranami said.

A replica of the Ayodhya temple has been displayed near Dak Bunglow Chowk in Patna where 'Sri Ramnavami Shobhayatra Abhinandan Samiti' organised a daylong programme on Sunday.

Talking to reporters, samiti convener and former Bihar minister Nitin Nabin said, “Altogether 51,000 diyas would be lit up around Dak Bunglow Chowk in the evening on Monday." The function is expected to be attended by several high-profile dignitaries including, Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

ISKCON temple at Patna will also light up 1.25 lakh diyas to mark the historic occasion at Ayodhya, its spokesperson Nand Gopal Das said.

Eight tonnes of flowers were brought in from different states for decoration of the temple, he said.

In the evening, tableaux of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman and others would be taken out, he said.

“Ramjyoti Utsav will be celebrated at the Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple on Nehru Path (Bailey Road) on Monday evening”, Union Minister Nityanand Rai told reporters here.

Daylong recitation of the Ramcharitmanas would be followed by the lighting of 1008 diyas in the evening at the Radha Krishna temple at Buddh Ghat, Patna.