Ramayan star Dipika Chikhlia invited to inaugural ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya
TV actress Dipika Chikhlia
Dipika Chikhlia, who played Sita in the iconic TV show Ramayan, has revealed that she will be attending the historic consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. She played Sita in Ramanand Sagar's iconic show Ramayan 36 years ago.
Dipika confirmed that she has been invited to the grand ceremony. She is likely to be accompanied by Arun Govil, who had essayed the role of Lord Ram in the show, which spanned 78 episodes on Doordarshan.
"Yes, we have been invited to Ayodhya on January 22... It will be something magical and a historic moment," Dipika told PTI in an interview.
"I have always said that I am very blessed that I could play Sita ji in Ramayan. It has been a very divine experience to be a part of something as magical as Ramayan. I enjoyed my journey throughout. I was one of those few actors who played Sita... but I continued to remain Sita ji till date. So I think we have all been very blessed," she added.
"I want to tell everybody that January 22, 2024, is the new date for Diwali. The way Diwali will be celebrated in Ayodhya, similarly everyone should welcome Lord Ram and celebrate Diwali in their homes," said Dipika.
The temple spread over 70 acres, will be open to the public after Prime Minister Narendra Modi does the "pran pratishtha", or the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol, on January 22.
Besides Dipika and Arun, several film personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Dhanush, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol, Prabhas, Yash and Rishab Shetty, have also been invited for the ceremony.
(With agency inputs)
