The famous Hanuman Garhi temple here is all decked up for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be in the city for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Ram temple on Wednesday.
As soon as the prime minister reaches Ayodhya on Wednesday, he will first go to this temple as it is believed that before visiting Lord Ram one should pay their respects to Lord Hanuman.
The priests in the temple are disheartened that they will not be able to meet Modi due to the protocols in place against coronavirus.
“At the temple, all of us had made a lot of preparations to present a ‘gada’ (mace), mukut (crown), silver brick, stole and a turban to the prime minister. But, this will not be possible now due to COVID-19 protocol. Our plan to give him the gifts now stands cancelled,” Hanuman Garhi Mahant Raju Das told PTI.
“The chief minister visited the temple on Monday. Now the prime minister will pray on Wednesday but all priests will remain at a distance and no one will be allowed near him. Modi is likely to stay here for 5-7 minutes,” he said.
He said that all preparations for Modi’s visit are almost complete and the ‘bhoomi pujan’ will be historic for the city of Ayodhya.
On the significance of visiting Hanuman temple first, the Mahant said according to legendsthey believe that no work is complete without the blessings of Lord Hanuman.
Seventy-six steps lead to Hanuman Garhi which is one of the most popular Hanuman temples in North India. The shrine houses Hanuman’s mother, Anjani, with a young Hanuman sitting on her lap.
About this temple, Mahant said, “When Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after conquering Ravana, he gave this place to Hanuman ji to live, so its called Hanuman Garhi or Hanuman Kot. From here, it is believed that Lord Hanuman used to protect Ramkot.”
He said that construction of the Ram temple will start a new era for Ayodhya city which has witnessed many “tense moments” in the past.
“Not only us, all Rambhakts are happy with the new beginning. It is not just due to religious reasons, but the people here are happy to feel that their city will now have more opportunities and development,” the Mahant said.
He said that vedic rituals started in the temple on Monday and will continue till the ‘bhoomi pujan’.
After the ‘bhoomi pujan’, the construction of Lord Ram’s temple will start with full speed.
The entire city has been decked up for Modi’s visit. Invited guests have started coming and most of them will reach here by Tuesday evening, a local administration official said.