Ram Mandir in Mexico: Queretaro, a city in Mexico, got its first Lord Ram temple on Sunday-- a day before India held a grand welcome of Lord Rama in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. The temple was inaugurated after the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony was performed by an American priest with Mexican hosts and the idols brought from India. The ceremony was held amidst hymns and songs chanted by the Indian diaspora which reverberated throughout the venue.
The Indian Embassy in Mexico said on X, "First Lord Ram temple in Mexico! On the eve of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at Ayodhya, the city of Queretaro in Mexico gets the first Lord Ram temple. Queretaro also hosts the first Lord Hanuman temple in Mexico."
It added, "The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony was performed by an American Priest with Mexican hosts & the idols brought from India. The atmosphere was filled with divine energy as the hymns & songs sung by the Indian diaspora reverberated throughout the hall."
India welcomes its Lord Ram in a grand ceremony
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dressed in a traditional kurta tunic, led the opening ceremony as Hindu priests chanted hymns inside the temple’s inner sanctum, where a 1.3-meter (4.3-foot) stone sculpture of Lord Ram was installed last week.
A conch was blown by a priest to mark the temple’s opening and Modi placed a lotus flower in front of the black stone idol, decked in intricate gold ornaments and holding a golden bow and arrow. Millions of Indians watched the ceremony on television, with news channels running non-stop coverage of the event, portrayed as a religious spectacle. Jubilant devotees from across the country have arrived to celebrate the opening, with groups of them dancing to religious songs that blare from speakers on roads bedecked with flowers. Huge cut-outs of Lord Ram and billboards of Modi are ubiquitous across Ayodhya, where the borders have been sealed to prevent more people from coming in. Some 20,000 security personnel and more than 10,000 security cameras have been deployed.
The inauguration has morphed into a massive national event. The Indian government live telecasted the event across the country and even movie theaters in some cities showed the event while offering free popcorn. Governing party workers have gone door to door handing out religious flags, while PM Modi encouraged people to celebrate by lighting lamps at homes and in local shrines. Government offices were closed for half a day on Monday, and many states declared it a public holiday. Even the stock and money markets were closed for the day.
(With inputs from agencies)
