Ram Navami 2024: VIP darshan suspended at Ayodhya temple till April 19
As part of the Ram Navami celebration and anticipated rush at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, the VIP 'darshans' have been suspended by the Temple Trust till April 19. Ram Navami will be celebrated on April 17.
FollowIn anticipation of the upcoming Ram Navami celebrations on April 17, the Ayodhya Temple Trust appealed to all dignitaries and VIPs to defer their visits until April 19. General Secretary Champat Rai explained that due to the expected surge in devotees, it won't be feasible to provide VIP protocol from April 16 to April 19. All visitors, including VIPs, will have to join the regular queues during this period.
During this time, passes issued for easy access and attendance to various rituals such as mangal aarti, shringar aarti, and shayan aarti will also be suspended.
On April 17, special arrangements will be made at the temple. The gates will open at 3:30 am and remain open throughout the day, except for a brief period during the day when offerings and clothing changes will take place. Currently, the plan is to close the gates by 11 pm after the day-long Ram Navami celebrations. Typically, the gates are closed at 9:30 pm after the shayan aarti, when the deity is put to rest. Additionally, live screenings of the rituals and proceedings will be conducted as advised by the temple priests.
The trust members have urged devotees to leave their belongings at a secure spot before joining the queue to avoid wasting time on depositing and retrieving items from lockers.
On April 16 and 18, the trust is ready to extend the gate opening hours until 11 pm to accommodate more devotees, with the decision being made accordingly. To prevent overcrowding in the Ramkot area, the local administration and police will regulate the movement of devotees in a staggered manner.
This year Ram Navami will be celebrated on April 17. Ram Navami celebrated the birth of Lord Ram. Â It usually falls on the ninth day (Navami) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra, which typically occurs in March or April according to the Gregorian calendar.
Â
