The historical moment of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has transformed into a global event resonating with cross-cultural unity and leaving an impact in foreign lands. Groups, individuals, society welfare associations in various parts of the world are doing their bit to express their happiness.
From Washington DC to Paris to Sydney, events have been planned in various parts of the world to mark the Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22. These programmes are either being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or are being undertaken by Hindu diaspora groups.
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Here’s a lineup of the most interesting events:
VHP joint general secretary Swami Vigyananand, who handles the organisation’s international affairs, said the VHP had “direct contacts” in over 60 countries and that it has planned programmes with the Hindu community organisations there.
Vigyananand added that the programmes were either car rallies, rath yatras or a prabhat pheris (marches undertaken while singing bhajans). The consecration ceremony will also be live-streamed at temples in different countries.
- Ram Rath Yatra in Paris
In the capital city of France, Paris, a Ram Rath Yatra will be carried out from the Place de la Capelle, an arena in the northern part of the city, to the iconic Eiffel Tower. As part of this, there would also be “chanting of the Shree Ram Dhun, devotional songs, cultural programmes and prasad distribution” at the Eiffel Tower.
That rath yatra will start after a puja and a vishwakalyan yagna and pass through notable Parisian landmarks such as the Le Republique, Musee de Louver and Arc de Triomphe.
Elaborating the details of the yatra, programme organiser Avinash Mishra posted on X, “We Indians living in France will be joining the historic and momentous occasion of Shri Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya by organising a Ram Rath Yatra across Paris and a large scale celebration at the Eiffel Tower.”
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- Car rally in US
Members of the Hindu American community organised a huge car rally across Houston recently. Stopping at 11 temples along the way, they sang bhajans and chanted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
Carrying saffron banners, almost 500 enthusiastic riders covered the distance holding an image of the Ram temple, the Indian flag and the US flag. 216 cars formed a 3-mile-long line along with eight police officers on bikes. Temples across the United States will organise week-long celebrations to celebrate the grand inauguration of the Ram Mandir.
After January 22, prasad will be distributed in temples across America, starting from Boston.
- Live telecast at New York Times Square
According to multiple media reports, the much-awaited consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla will not just be live-streamed in various Indian embassies overseas but also at the famous Times Square in New York.
Devotees in New York will assemble at Times Square on January 22.
- Events in Australia
In Australia, programmes will be organised at Parramatta Park in Western Sydney and Kingsley Park in Melbourne. Other cities in Australia where VHP will hold programmes with Hindu communities include Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and New South Wales.
“Around 25 to 50 organisations are collectively organising the programmes in Australia,” VHP’s Vigyananand said.
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In Africa, he said, the VHP was organising a car rally and other programmes in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, Ghana, Nigeria and Mozambique. Similar events have been planned in Buckingham, Bankok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Bali.
Vigyananand said, “The VHP is taking the lead. But it has become a programme of the Hindu samaj. This is a historic occasion for the Hindu community. Hindus are connected and their roots are in India. When something happens in India, it has an effect internationally.”
- Billboards of Ram Mandir in US
Amid ongoing events and celebrations across the globe ahead of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple, giant billboards of Lord Ram and the majestic shrine in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh have gone up in more than 10 states, thousands of miles away in the United States.
The billboards have cropped up in Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, among other states.
(With inputs from agencies)