Ram Temple Ayodhya: What are Seven-day Rituals Ahead of Pran Pratistha on Jan 22 | EXPLAINED

Preparations are underway in Ayodhya for the mega Ram Mandir ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest.

According to the temple trust, over 7,000 people have been invited by the temple trust and they include cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.

The auspicious Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram will take place on the upcoming Paush Shukla Kurma Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, falling on January 22 in the Vikram Samvat 2080 calendar.

There have been a series of events planned ahead of the consecration ceremony on Monday. The rituals of pre-Pran Pratistha sacraments will start on Tuesday (January 16) and continue till January 21 (Sunday).

What are Pre-Pran Pratistha sacraments?

Before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, the consecrated idol undergoes a process known as ‘Adhivas’, wherein various forms of residence are created for the idol. These include residence in water, food, fruits, medicine, ghee, bed, and fragrance.

Some of the rituals started from the Makar Sankranti on Monday (January 15). Around 11 ‘yajamana’, on whose a ritual or yajna is performed, began an eight-day observance of various rituals, which were in accordance with the Vedic traditions, in Ayodhya.

The rituals included atonement, ‘gaudan’, special bathing and others. All of them would be reciting the name of Lord Rama for the next eight days. Their observance would end on January 22, the day of the consecration ceremony.

According to Temple Trust’s general secretary Champat Rai, the procedure will be carried out in accordance with the guidance of religious leaders, acknowledging the complexity and importance of the ritual.

Starting Tuesday, Kashi-based Vedic scholar and priest Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid will oversee and anchor a team of 121 acharyas tasked with performing the rituals leading to the main event.

Here’s a detailed list of events planned before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony:

1. January 16: On Tuesday, Prayaschita and Karmakuti Poojan will be organised. The priest appointed by the Temple Trust will conduct the ‘Dashvidh’ bath ritual on the banks of river Saryu. The rituals will include Vishnu worship and Godan.
2. January 17: On Wednesday, the ‘parisar pravesh’ of the idol will be organised where the procession with the idol of Ram Lala will visit Ayodhya. Meanwhile, devotees will reach the temple carrying Saryu water in Mangal Kalash or pot.
3. January 18: Aushadhadhivas, Kesaradhivas, and Ghritadhivas have been scheduled for Thursday. A new idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysuru-based Arun Yogiraj which has been selected for installation at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will also be placed at its ‘aasan’ in ‘garbh griha’ (sanctum sanctorum) on January 18. In the evening, Teerth Poojan, Jal Yatra, and Gandhadhivas will be held.
4. January 19: In Dhanyadhivas, an idol is wiped dry and laid in the supine posture on top of grains or pulses and the process is repeated where the murti is completely covered with more grains or pulses to further purify it. On Friday, a grand ‘hawan’ will also be done along with Agni Sthapana and Navagraha Sthapana.
5. January 20: Sharkaradhivas and Phaladhivas have been scheduled for Saturday morning, while Pushpadhivas will be held in the evening. The devotees will not be able to have darshan of Ram Lalla on Jan 20 and 21 and the doors of the new temple will open for the general public from Jan 23. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be cleaned with the holy water of River Saryu.
6. January 21: Though the temple will be closed for darshan, Madhyadhivas has been scheduled for Sunday. The deity will be washed with 125 urns and Shayadhivas ritual will be performed.

Rituals During Pran Pratistha

Pran Pratishtha is a popular ritual in Jainism and Hinduism, where the idol of a deity is installed at a sacred place like a temple, after sanctification. The word Pran means life force and Pratishtha means establishment. Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony means invoking the life force in the idol.

A Pran Pratistha ceremony involves Seven Adhivasas, although a minimum of three Adhivasas is generally followed. It is believed that through Pran Pratishtha, special powers are infused into them, and they are transformed into deities.

The rituals of Ram Mandir consecration will be performed by a total of 121 Acharyas. The idol’s Pran Pratistha would be done during the auspicious ‘Abhijeet Muhurta’ from 12.20 pm to 1 pm.