Consecration rituals begin at Ram temple in Ayodhya

Ayodhya: Rituals in the run-up to the January 22 Ram Mandir consecration ceremony started at the temple complex here on Tuesday, its chief priest said.

These will continue till January 21. On January 22, the minimum essential rituals needed for the "Pran Pratishtha" (consecration) of the idol of Ram Lalla will be conducted, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai had told reporters on Monday.

"The 'anushthan' has started and will continue till January 22, the day of the consecration ceremony. Eleven priests are performing the rituals invoking all the "devis and devtas" (goddesses and gods)," Ram temple chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das said.

The trust said there are seven adhivasas in the "Pran Pratishtha" and a minimum of three adhivasas are in practice.

There are 121 "acharyas" who are conducting the rituals and Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid is overseeing, coordinating and directing all proceedings of the "anushthan". The principal "acharya" will be Laxmikant Dixit Dixit of Kashi.

The Ram temple "Pran Pratishtha" will begin at 12:20 pm on January 22, Rai had said.

The rituals preceding the "Pran Pratishtha" started with the "prayaschita" and "karmakuti poojan", according to a schedule released by the Sri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

On January 17, the idol's "parisar pravesh" will be completed, followed by "teerth poojan", "jal yatra" and "gandhadhivas" on January 18 and "aushadhadhivas", "kesaradhivas", "ghritadhivas" and "dhanyadhivas" on January 19.

On January 20, rituals related to "sharkara dhivas", "phaladhivas" and "pushpadhivas" will be held. On January 21, the "madhyadhivas" and "shaiyadhivas" rituals will be completed, according the schedule.