WATCH | Two Shaligram stones for Ram Mandir reach Ayodhya from Nepal

Ayodhya, Feb 2: Two Shaligram (non-anthropomorphic representations of Lord Vishnu in Hindu Dharma) stones dispatched from Nepal for the Ram Mandir, reached Ayodhya on Wednesday. They expected to be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir.

 

Found only on the riverbanks of Kali Gandaki River that flows through Myagdi and Mustang district, the Shaligrams reached late night on Wednesday.

 

The general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Champat Rai, said they hold spiritual importance and considered to be centuries-old. On arrival in the Ram Katha Kunj, they will be opened for worship by the devotees. Ram Katha Kunj in Ramsevak Puram is an old workplace of the Ram Mandir where the boulders of Shaligram stone will reach.

 

One of the stones weighs 18 tons while the other weighs 16 tons and it has been approved both technically and scientifically for the making of the idol. Janaki temple, which sent these two stones would later send a bow to Ram temple in Ayodhya as per the specification of Ram temple trust.

 

 

Earlier, Nepali Congress leader and former deputy prime minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who hails from Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, is coordinating with the Janaki temple which is sending the two stones from the Kali Gandaki River where Shaligrams are found in abundance.

 

"Stones found in the Kaligandki River are well known and very precious in the world. It is widely accepted that these stones are symbols of Lord Vishnu. Lord Ram is the incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu which is why the stone from Kali Gandaki River, if available, would be very good to make Ram Lala's murti (Idol) in Ayodhya for Ram Janma Bhumi Temple. It was requested by Champat Rai- the General Secretary of the Trust (Ram Janma Bhoomi Teertha Kshetra) and I was very much active and interested in this, " Nidhi told ANI.

 

 

"I visited Ayodhya along with my colleague Ram Tapeshwar Das- Mahantha(Priest) of Janaki Temple. We had a meeting with the Trust authorities and other saints of Ayodhya. It was decided that upon the availability of the stones from Kali Gandaki River of Nepal, it would be good for them to make the Murti (Idol) of Ram Lala," the former deputy prime minister said.

 

Further, he said Ayodhya and Janakpur are places of historic importance and the use of Nepali stones for sculpting Ram and Sita idols and the bow from Nepal would reflect the deep religious and cultural bonds between the two countries.

 

The Sher Bahadur Deuba government had authorised handing over of the stones to Ayodhya. Legend has it that Sita, also known as Janaki, was the daughter of king Janak of Nepal. Every year, Janakpur not just celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, but also the wedding anniversary of Ram and Sita.

 

 

Nidhi has been coordinating with authorities in India and the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya for over two years to take this initiative forward. In his conversation with former Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri in 2020 in Janakpur, Nidhi proposed sending a bow to Ayodhya. Nidhi said he thought of sending two stones to Ayodhya only after talking to Indian authorities, particularly Champat Rai, general secretary, Ram JanmabhoomiTeerthaKshetra in Ayodhya.

 

Nidhi said in December 2022, they got clearance from the Nepal government to send the two stones and a bow to Ayodhya. The two shilas will first be brought to Janakpur from the Kali Gandaki River for public viewing before being sent to Ayodhya. Nidhi said they had received permission from the Department of Mines and Geology to send the two stones to Ayodhya.