Ram Temple: As rituals in the run-up to the January 22 Ram Mandir consecration ceremony started at the temple complex in Ayodhya, Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das lit a 108-foot-long incense stick on Tuesday. He lit the incense stick amid a huge crowd chanting "Jai Shri Ram".
Das also claimed that the fragrance from the incense stick will reach a distance of 50 km. He also stated that it will continue to lit for the next 45 days.
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About the 108-foot-long incense stick
The incense stick has been brought to Ayodhya from Gujarat's Vadodara for the special ceremony. Weighing 3,610 kg, it has a width of around three-and-a-half feet. Cow dung, ghee, essence, flower extracts and herbs were used to prepare the incense stick, which, once lit, will last for about a month and a half.
Rituals begin leading to 'Pran Pratishtha'
The rituals in the run-up to the consecration ceremony will continue till January 21. Speaking to the media, temple trust general secretary Champat Rai said that the minimum essential rituals needed for the "Pran Pratishtha" (consecration) of the idol of Ram Lalla will be conducted on January 22. "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.
Ram temple consecration ceremony
It should be mentioned here that Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the ceremony. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds great spiritual, historical and cultural significance for the people of India. A Vedic priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahautsav.
ALSO READ: Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha: Rituals for consecration ceremony to commence today | Here's seven-day schedule
