In the run-up to the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh will organise eight-day-long “rath yatras” and “kalash yatras” (chariot and pitcher processions) in villages and urban bodies of all districts of the state starting January 14.
Also, bhajan kirtans holding Ram katha discourses and continuous recitation of Ramayana’s Sundarkand during these processions as well as at temples and maths will be held to “promote the country’s cultural heritage”, officials said.
A government order on this has been sent to all the districts by Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, wherein instructions have been given to ensure that these programmes are held in a “grand manner”.
The order says, “It is our responsibility to ensure and preserve Valmiki’s Ramayana, a world-famous intangible heritage, and spread information about it. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is a step towards establishing culture, ideals, and traditions. The Ramayana written by Maharishi Valmiki is a world-famous epic based on the life of Sri Ram, which teaches values that are significant in the present time.”
While the “rath yatras” will mainly comprise men, “kalash yatras” will primarily be carried by women, officials said.
The selection of temples (dedicated to Ram, Hanuman, and Valimiki) for these events will be done by the respective district administrations. Also, the state Culture Department has started a web portal where photographs of the programmes with their GPS locations and contact details of shrine managements will be uploaded, it is learnt.
Artists registered with the Departments of Culture and Information will perform in these events and the payments will to made through the district tourism and cultural boards.
Moreover, nodal officers have also been appointed for organising these activities and officials have been asked to ensure cleanliness of the spots of Ramotsava events which would culminate with the lighting of lamps at temples and other places.
A senior government official said, “The government is not doing anything as there are district and cultural councils that will facilitate these events. Valmiki’s Ramayana is an epic, which has been recognised as a cultural intangible heritage even by UNESCO. The Culture Department is actually promoting, preserving, and taking forward this intangible heritage.”