Ayodhya: In “Treta Yug”, the second of four yugs in Hindu mythology, Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman had returned to Ayodhya after slaying King Ravan in the Pushpak Vimaan.
On Wednesday, “Lord Ram” returned to Ayodhya in a helicopter and was welcomed back into his home by UP CM Yogi Adityanath and state Governor Ram Naik as UP tried to recreate the Ramayan and celebrate Diwali like never before. The CM welcomed Lord Ram with a garland and UP minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi then garlanded Sita. Cries of “Jai Shri Ram” rent the air as the helicopter began to land.
In previous ‘Ravan Raj’ there was discrimination: Yogi
Union minister of state for tourism K.K. Alphons and minister of state for culture Mahesh Sharma, along with Uttar Pradesh ministers and Ayodhya’s saints and seers were present at the event, which reverberated with chants of Jai Shri Ram.
The “Rajya Abhishek” (coronation) and aarti of Lord Ram was performed on stage by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a group of priests.
The ministers lined up on stage to seek blessings from the “lord” as devotional songs and recitations from the Ramayan played in the background.
At dusk, nearly 1.71 lakh diyas were lit across a half-km span on Ram Ki Pairi to celebrate Diwali. The flickering lights gave a fairytale look to Ayodhya.
All the 10,000-odd temples in Ayodhya were also lit up, making the holy city look breathtakingly beautiful and spectacular. The lighting of diyas is set to create a world record as the previous record is of 1.54 lakh diyas being lit at one go.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Yogi said Ayodhya was a part of our heritage and it was the government’s duty to promote the city as a major tourist destination. Attacking opposition, the UP Chief Minister said, “We don’t discriminate on the basis of caste, creed and religion. In the previous ‘Ravan Raj’, there was discrimination on the basis of family and caste,” he said.
