Ayodhya on 'Crowd' Nine: Braving Biting Cold, Devotees Throng Ram Temple; 19 Lakh Visitors in 6 Days

More than 2 lakh ‘Ram Bhakts’ flocked to Ayodhya on Sunday to seek the blessings of the deity and visit the grand temple. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust officials also said that in the past six days, around 19 lakh devotees have visited the Ram Mandir, since the pran pratistha (consecration) ceremony on January 22.

Braving the biting cold on Sunday, people began pouring in from 3am, said officials. Other than locals from Ayodhya, pilgrims from neighbouring districts including Gonda, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Lucknow, and Hardoi dropped in to seek the blessings of Lord Ram.

“On Sunday, the sixth day of the ‘darshan’ (viewing) of Ram Lalla, 2.25 lakh devotees visited the temple. This makes the total number of devotees who visited in the last six days 19 lakh,” said Champat Rai, vice president of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The maximum number of visitors was on January 23 – the day the gates of the temple were opened to the public. On the day, over 5 lakh devotees gathered at the temple premises to offer prayers, leading to a chaotic situation. However, officials said, the number of visitors has remained at around 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh a day since then.

On the directives of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a committee has been established to ensure a smooth and hassle-free darshan for devotees at the Ram Mandir. The temple management has also established holding areas to accommodate pilgrims in a bid to avert any pandemonium.

Officials from the temple trust and district administration said that efforts are also being made to ensure that devotees coming to Ayodhya stay there and visit other places in the town. There are currently 17 hotels here and 73 more are to be built. Of these, construction work on about 40 is in progress. Some big hotel chains in India have already made plans to come to Ayodhya and set up their properties here, officials said.