Bengaluru, Aug 4: Police barricades, yellow banners, walls with a fresh coat of paint and the sounds of bhajan mark parts of Ayodhya as the city awaits its big day Wednesday, when the first brick will be laid for the Ram temple.
Ayodhya is decked up for the bhoomi pujan that will be attended at the Ram Janmabhoomi by 175 people, who figure in a select guest list of seers and politicians topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Concerned over the spread of coronavirus, the authorities are encouraging others not to come to the temple town, asking them to mark the occasion by celebrating at their homes. The groundbreaking ceremony will be telecast live.
Roads leading to Ayodhya display hoardings with the picture of the proposed Ram temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram, the deity now housed in a makeshift temple.
Around the town’s Hanumangarhi area – named after a well-known temple which Modi will visit on Wednesday – both police sirens and ‘bhajans’ in praise of Ram are heard.
Most of the shops in the locality wear a new look, with their fronts painted in bright yellow. A large number of policemen were deployed there on Tuesday. Some sat in the sweet shops, waiting for their next instructions.
Roads leading into the area are barricaded. Yards of yellow cloth and marigold garlands were being hung on poles.
Even on the day before the event, security checks on vehicles heading to Ayodhya begin from adjoining Barabanki district itself on the Lucknow-Ayodhya road. Policemen take down details, including mobile numbers of the travellers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar said the focus of the force is on maintaining the Covid-19 protocol.
“So we are not going to allow any outsider to enter Ayodhya city,” he said. Prohibitory orders are also in force and not more than four people will be allowed to gather.
“The markets and shops will remain open but with strict adherence to the Covid protocol,” he said. Outsiders will be stopped from entering the city, but Ayodhya residents will be allowed in if they produce any identification document.
“We are also carrying out random checks on people living in Ayodhya to ensure that no outsiders are staying here,” he said.
The city’s temples and mosques will remain open, but no other religious event – except for the bhoomi pujan – will take place on Wednesday.
Pickets have been set up at sensitive points in the city.
Sub-inspector Ram Chandra Yadav and constables Avnish Kumar and Ankit Chaudhary man the Terhi Bazar Chauraha picket near the Ram Janmabhoomi site.
"We are here for the past some days, and were on duty on the Rakshabandhan day. Duty comes first and only after that come other things in life, like festivals," Yadav said.
Mayank Gupta, who runs a restaurant, was handing out food packets to policemen, his customers.
"For the last two months, I have been providing tiffin to them twice a day. There are around 100 policemen to whom I supply tiffin," Gupta said.
Over 200 Dalit families near Vedaranyam claim to have been banned from participating in the temple festival, while 35 Dalit families in Karur complai that they were barred from even entering the local Mahasakhthi Amman temple. They claim that the temple was built using their contributions.
Comments
Masha Allah
Majority of Indian population are dalit, If 70% of dalits convert to Islam in India.Islam will become the number one in India.
Any individuals while choosing religion, he will go for the best religion.
Finally he will find Islam, because Islam is the best and easy to follow religion.
Accepting any religion means, agreeing its doctrine and following its teaching.
It has come to from the heart. Nobody can force to follow any religion nor can force to change it.
It comes from his inner conscience, what he or she feels comfortable.
We may force somebody to remain in the same religion or we can force also to change into any religion, which is like asking someone to agree and believe 2+2=3. Even if a person agrees to come under pressure, it means, he is not following its teaching by will and wish. So he can definitely violate and disobey its teaching.
Now coming into this case, first of all they are not comfortable what their fellow followers did them to ban the entry into temple. And no equality in their society. This is the main reason
Now choosing new religion is purely understanding and convincing its doctrine and real teaching.
Our constitution also empowers everyone to follow freely any religion. Not only this, it also empowers to propagate to others.
It is a great constitution.
Guide them properly OR Leave them alone.
Accepting any religion means, agreeing its doctrine and following its teaching.
It has come to from the heart. Nobody can force to follow any religion nor can force to change it.
It comes from his inner conscience, what he or she feels comfortable.
We may force somebody to remain in the same religion or we can force also to change into any religion, which is like asking someone to agree and believe 2+2=3. Even if a person agrees to come under pressure, it means, he is not following its teaching by will and wish. So he can definitely violate and disobey its teaching.
Now coming into this case, first of all they are not comfortable what their fellow followers did them to ban the entry into temple. And no equality in their society. This is the main reason
Now choosing new religion is purely understanding and convincing its doctrine and real teaching.
Our constitution also empowers everyone to follow freely any religion. Not only this, it also empowers to propagate to others.
It is a great constitution.
Guide them properly OR Leave them alone.
Welcome brothers and sisters ....Proud to be MUSLIMS
Islam invites people who learn about it and understand it. not to increase numbers....no need to convert just because they are not allowed in temples, they can follow their faith even from their hearts.
@ venki
Islam does not allow forced conversion.....we invite to the path of Islam. If someone wills then only..moreover we are not minorities in the world like you.....
@yogesh..
i think the people already know better to join islam than supporting RSS Terrorrists right....
Hari, nothing is impossible in this world, for that you need good heart and mind which I cannot see it in those so called hindutva group....they are all still remaining in their old and orthodox thinking. As a matter of fact there is no such a thing called upper and lower cast in the society but it has been created by bloody brahmins for their benefits...
Venke, Sangeeth .....if you feel that one can pray at home, then why you people are fighting for Ayodhya temple.... Beef exporting hypocrites....
If they convert to Islam....there they get all types of respect, which they have not seen and imagined in their entire past life...great religion......nice choice....well come guys....
Sangeeth Manglore
Yeah... they can pray anywhere as they are considered born out of feet.. Only those born out of Gods head, needed rich temples to pray and enjoy public wealth. Opportunistic
Hindutva group will do nothing if Dalits convert to Jainism, Buddhism but, as soon as Dalits want to convert to Islam or Christianity, Saffronist will come into action with some stupid solution
The best solution is as mention by Mr Rikaz, that all the Dalits must get BRAHMIN STATUS then all the discrimination may end.
Good that hindutava group is taking initiative......they should upgrade their status from lower caste (dalit) to upper caste (Brahmin) This is only the amicable solution for this problem, otherwise this problem (ill treating dalit) will recur every now and then.
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