Ram Temple consecration: ‘Darshan’ of old idol put on hold, stage set for opening tomorrow
Included in the rituals Sunday were “Shakradhivas”, “Phaladhivas” and “Pushpadhivas”, offering the idol sugar and sweets, then fruit and ending with flowers.
Ram Temple being decorated on Saturday ahead of Pran Patistha ceremony in Ayodhya (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav) Less than 48 hours before the consecration scheduled for January 22, an elaborate and protracted set of rituals around the 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla were completed Saturday.
The new idol’s eyes, still covered with cloth, underwent different “adhivas” rituals, which involved draping the entire frame in a variety of flowers brought from locations across the country including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kolkata, sources involved in the rituals told The Indian Express.
These flowers, an estimated 50 kg, include: lotus, rose, jasmine and chrysanthemum.
In a ritual called “snapan,” that lasted about three hours, the sanctum sanctorum was also washed with water from 81 “Kalash” or urns, also sourced from a range of religious places and rivers across the country, including Sitamarhi in Bihar and Nepal, regarded as the birthplace of Sita. Some urns also had “medicated water with gau mutra” and juices of selected fruits.
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