Ram Mandir: All temples PM Modi visited before consecration have a significant Ramayana connect

Ram Mandir: Lord Ram devotees in India and around the world celebrate the occasion of Ayodhya Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony much like the festival of Diwali.

The mega religious and spiritual ceremony started on January 22 at around 12:30 pm IST when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the sanctum sanctorum that housed the divine sculpture of Lord Ram Lalla.

Before the ceremony on January 22, PM Modi visited a number of temples in different parts of India, majorly in southern India. All these temples hold significance in the Ramayana and connecting PM Modi’s visit to these religious venues tells us a story about Lord Ram’s years in exile.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Also Read |What India's bid for the 2036 Olympics means for its economy

Significance of PM Modi’s visits to various temples before Ayodhya Ram Temple ceremony

PM Modi started his special ritual of 11 days on January 12 ahead of the Pran Prathistha (consecration) ceremony. During these 11 days of ritual called ‘yama niyama’ he visited various temples that are connected to Lord Ram.

Kalaram Temple, Ramkund, Nashik, Maharashtra

Modi visited Ramkund on January 12, which is located in Maharashtra’s Nashik. Ramkund is located along the banks of the Godavari River and is the holiest place in Nashik. It is believed that this was the place where Lord Ramused to bathe when he was living there in exile.

Also Read |Ayodhya's over $10bn revamp could generate around $3bn in tax revenue for UP

On the other hand, the Kalaram Temple that PM visited is another site situated in the Panchvati area of Nashik. According to the epic Ramayana, Lord Ram came along with Lakshman and Sita to live here for almost two and a half years.

While it is not exactly known how the temple got its name, it is believed that Lord Ram killed 14,000 demons in just 1.5 minutes and, therefore, it is called 'Kalaram' as he invoked his 'kala roop' or 'dark side' to slay them.

Lepakshi Veerabhadra Temple, Andhra Pradesh

From Nashik, PM Modi headed southwards, over 1,000 km away on January 16 to Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh. Lepakshi, which means 'Rise, oh bird' in Telugu.

As per the epic Ramayana, after Ravan kidnapped Sita and boarded the Puspak Viman to take her to Lanka, a giant vulture-like mythical bird, Jatayu, valiantly fought the demon king to stop him in his tracks. However, Ravan slashed one of Jatayu’s wings and the bird fell down, badly injured. This wing is said to have fallen in Lepakshi.

It is here that Lord Ram and Laxman, in search of Sita, are said to have met Jatayu and learnt about Sita's kidnapping by Ravan.

Sri Ramaswami Temple, Kerala

From Andhra, PM Modi went to Sri Ramaswami Temple, Thriprayar, in Kerala's Thrissur district on January 17. There are no clear details available about this temple but itis known for a unique kind of worship called ‘vedi vazhipadu’ which means bursting of crackers. It is performed at the temple to commemorate the return of Hanuman from Lanka after she met Sita.

Also Read |UP CM Yogi Adityanath says Ayodhya ‘won’t echo with gunshots’ now, nor ‘witness curfew’

PM Modi’s visit fits perfectly in the epic’s sequence, as after meeting Jatayu, Lord Ram lands in the monkey kingdom of Kishkinda, where he meets Hanuman and the rest of the story progresses.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu

The next spiritual stop for PM Modi was Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy. He reached there on January 20. As per legends, Lord Ram gave Ravan’s brother Vibhishan his own dynasty’s Vishnu sculpture as a sign of gratitude for helping him during the Lanka war.

It was here that Vibhishan handed over the sculpture to a local boy, which was later discovered years later by a king of the Chola dynasty, who established the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.

Arichal Munai Point, Tamil Nadu

Arichal Munai Point is located at the Dhanushkodi beach on Rameswaram island of Tamil Nadu. The point is the merging location of the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar Sea of the Indian Ocean.

It is believed that this was the starting point of the Ram Setu, a bridge made by Lord Ram’s ‘vanara sena’ to reach Lanka to rescue Sita.

Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu

The Kothandaramaswamy Temple at Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu is dedicated to Lord Rama. The temple has the idols of Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman and Ravan’s brother Vibhishan.

The temple is believed to be the place where Vibhishan, asked Ram and his vanar(ape men) army for refuge. It is because he advised his brother Ravan to return Sita, however, Ravan did not listen to his advice. After this, Vibhishan fled from Lanka and joined Lord Ram’s army.

The spiritual trail from Maharashtra’s Panchavati to Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu was hence significant for the January 22 consecration ceremony.

(With inputs from agencies)