Ayodhya, Jan 11: A series of cultural and religious events in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya will be organised by the Ram Temple Trust to celebrate the first anniversary of the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the temple.

The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya is set to mark the completion of one year of its operations.

In anticipation of this milestone, preparations are in full swing for the first anniversary of the Temple's Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

Scheduled from January 11 to 13, the celebrations aim to include common people who were unable to attend the historic ceremony last year, alongside around 110 invited VIPs, according to the temple trust.

The celebrations will take place at various locations within the Ram Janmabhoomi premises. The three-day event will feature performances by renowned artists such as 'Folk Queen of India' Malini Awasthi; playback singer and politician Anuradha Paudwal, and poet Kumar Vishwas, among others.

Ram Katha and Ram Leela performances, along with several religious rituals, will be held during the three-day celebration, according to the temple trust.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will address the devotees at Kuber Tila on Saturday, which will be followed by a series of musical and devotional performances.

Musical groups from different states will also perform kirtans at various intersections in Ayodhya from January 11 to 13.

Seers from across India, who were unable to attend the previous consecration ceremony, have been invited to participate in the anniversary celebrations.

A list of around 70 such saints is being prepared by the Ram Temple Trust.

Kumar Vishwas and Malini Awasthi will perform at Angad Teela within the temple premises on Saturday, while Anuradha Paudwal and Kavita Paudwal will perform on Sunday.

Ram Katha will be narrated by Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Swami Gyananand over the three days.

Additionally, Sapna Goyal from Lucknow, along with 250 women, will recite the Sundarkand during the event.

Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Temple Trust, said that seers from Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and over 100 local seers from Ayodhya will participate in the anniversary celebrations.

In a statement, Rai confirmed that no special passes will be issued for darshan during the three-day event, ensuring that devotees can partake in the celebrations freely.

On January 22, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

According to the Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, more than two lakh devotees visited the temple on January 1, the first day of the year, to offer their prayers.

Acharya Satyendra Das, the Chief priest of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, spoke about the ongoing preparations, mentioning that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to attend the anniversary program and organise various events.

The Chief Minister is also expected to inaugurate the program, as per the priest.

"This annual festival is also being celebrated in the same way as when Diwali was celebrated, so the Chief Minister himself said about Diwali," he added.

In December, Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Misra said that the construction of the Ram Mandir complex is progressing rapidly and is "hopefully" expected to be completed within the first six months of 2025.

Misra further mentioned that the construction work has been sped up since January is an important month as it would mark the first anniversary of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony and with the Mahakumbh celebrations in Prayagraj, it would attract huge crowds in Ayodhya.

"We were told that the construction work is ongoing, speedily. The construction is going on in full swing. January is essential also because it marks the first anniversary of Pran Pratishtha and also because the MahaKumbh is set to begin which will draw large crowds," Misra said.

--IANS

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