Ram Mandir inauguration: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who has not received an invitation for Ram Mandir's 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony scheduled to take place on January 22, has made plans for the day.
Uddhav Thackeray has said that he along with party workers will visit Kalaram Temple in Nashik and perform a 'Maha Aarti' on the Godavari river bank.
"I have not received any invitation yet and I don't need one to visit Ayodhya as Ram Lalla belongs to everyone. Whenever I feel like it, I will go. Shiv Sena had contributed a lot to the Ram temple movement," Uddhav had said earlier.
"The consecration of Ayodhya Ram temple is a matter of pride and self-respect. On that day (January 22), we will visit the Kalaram temple at 6:30 pm where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Sane Guruji (social reformer) had to stage protests. At 7:30 pm, we will hold a maha aarti on the banks of the Godavari river," Thackeray said.
The Kalaram Temple located in Nashik's Panchavati area is dedicated to Lord Ram. The temple is named 'Kalaram' as the idol of Lord Ram is carved out of a black stone. It's believed that Lord Ram, wife Sita and brother Laxman stayed in Panchavati during their exile.
In 1930, Dr Ambedkar had led a protest at the Kalaram temple to seek entry of Dalits into the temple.
The consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya will be held on January 22.
With inputs from PTI
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