While most city temples will have a Deepotsav in the evening of January 22 after the inauguration of the grand Ram temple, the Mumbadevi temple will have a ceremony of lights between 12 and 12.30 pm when the Prana Pratishta will take place at Ayodhya. The Prana Pratishta is the vedic ritual of the consecration of a temple deity.
Mumbadevi temple's Shobha Yatra
The Mumbadevi temple will organise a Shobha Yatra or procession along the temple’s parikrama or circumambulation path. Religious services will begin at 7.30am with Sangeet Ramayan and conclude with a Maha Aarti at 12.30pm. The temple does not have a shrine to Lord Ram as it is dedicated to the mother goddess, but the temple will keep its Ram idol for special worship that day.
“Everybody is celebrating that day. It is a historical moment for every Indian. Every temple is commemorating the event,” said Hemant Jadhav, the temple’s manager.
The temple, which has given the city its name, will be decorated with flowers and the shrine’s shikhar, the tower over the sanctum, will be covered with electric lights.
Babulnath's gallery
At Babulnath, the main Shiva shrine in the city, the temple trustees inaugurated a gallery of nearly 100 pictorial depictions of episodes from Lord Rama's life, from his childhood to his crowning as the king of Ayodhya. The exhibition, which was inaugurated on January 16, is being held in the temple’s main hall. The images displayed at the exhibition have been sourced from publications by the Gita Press, said Mukesh Kanojia, temple manager. On January 22, the temple will have readings if the Sundara Kanda, a chapter from Valmiki’s Ramayana, and Abhishek of the deity.
Panel from the exhibition at Babulnath temple |
Panel from the exhibition at Babulnath temple |
Panel from the exhibition at Babulnath temple |
Panel from the exhibition at Babulnath temple |
The Prabhadevi temple trust has asked devotees to gather at the Udyan Ganesh Mandir at Shivaji Park at 6.30pm on January 21 to light lamps in a programme called ‘Ek Panti Shri Rama Karita’.
No special programme at Matunga’s Shankara Matham
At Matunga’s Shankara Matham, there are no special programmes on January 22, but keeping with the instructions from the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in Tamil Nadu, devotees will sing the Sri Rama Kirti, compositions in praise of the deity, between 12.00 and 1.00 pm. The Kanchi Peetam has differences with the government on the nature of ceremonies at the Ayodhya temple and have said that the government is not well-versed with the Prana Pratishta rituals and should have entrusted the details to the present Kanchi Shankaracharya Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati Swami as the previous head of the centre, Sankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swami, was involved in the efforts to resolve the Ram Janma Bhoomi dispute.
Main events
Mumbadevi temple will hold a Shobha Yatra along the temple's Parikrama. Other programmes include Sangeet Ramayan and Maha Aarti. Prabhadevi temple has asked devotees to gather at the Udyan Ganesh Mandir at Shivaji Park at 6.30pm on January 21 to light lamps.
Babulnath temple has inaugurated a gallery of nearly 100 pictorial depictions of episodes from Lord Rama’s life. The temple will have readings of the Sundara Kanda and Abhishek of the deity. Matunga’s Shankara Matham will hold recitations of Rama Kirti, compositions in praise of the deity, between 12.00 and 1pm. Samasth Hindu Samaj will hold Maha Aarti at 6pm at Vikrant Circle, Ghatkopar (East).
