US Gears Up For Ram Mandir Consecration This Week, Indian Americans To Attend Festivities
Thousands of Indian Americans are expected to attend a series of festivities starting this week as hundreds of temples in US are preparing for the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya next week.
“Ayodhya is re-emerging from destruction and neglect, epitomizing the eternal nature of Sanatana Dharma. The upcoming consecration at Ram Lalla Mandir after 550 years is bringing immense joy to the city and nearly a billion Hindus across the world,” Kalyan Viswanathan, president of the Hindu University of America said in a blog post.
Temple in Houston to celebrate consecration ceremony
The consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya temple will be held on January 22. Kapil Sharma of the Shri Sita Ram Foundation in Texas, which has organized the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Pran Pratishtha celebration at its temple in Houston, stated that the construction of Lord Ram’s temple at Ayodhya Dham, after a 500-year wait, marks an important day of faith and celebration for Hindus worldwide.
Festivities to start with Sundarkand
The festivities will start with Sundarkand, which will then be followed by musical, dance, and singing performances. A havan and Lord Ram’s Pattabhishek will come next, leading up to a procession of Lord Ram and then prasad will be distributed. Sharma remarked that we are also honored to distribute prasad and raj (holy dust), which is being flown in just for our function from Ayodhya Dham.
On Saturday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore is expected to attend a celebration of Ram Mandir in a suburb of Washington, DC. In the Greater Washington, DC area, a few Pakistani Americans are also taking part in the celebrations.
“The long-awaited dream of millions of followers of Lord Sri Rama is about to become a reality,” said Amitabh Mittal from Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, the organisation which is leading the nationwide festivities in the United States. There are around 1,000 temples in the US, and almost all of them are having celebrations, beginning this weekend, to commemorate the historic occasion.
Car rallies to be organized in 20 cities
Car rallies are being organized in more than 20 cities with the largest one being in the Bay Area, California, where more than 600 cars are expected to participate.
“The devotees of Lord Rama will hold a car rally in the San Francisco area to mark the occasion, the rally will be accompanied by images of Lord Rama on digital mobile trucks and melodious hymns about him,” said Deepti Mahajan.
To broadcast the Ram temple consecration ceremony on large billboards in major cities including Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles, VHP-America has also rented outdoor spots around the nation. On January 21, Sony will display Srimad Ramayana in Times Square to mark the occasion.
