'Dry day' in Chhattisgarh on Jan 22 to mark Ayodhya Ram temple consecration

The Chhattisgarh government has decided that there will be a dry day in the entire state on January 22,' Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said

Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya: The Chhattisgarh government, led by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, has decided to declare January 22 as a "dry day" to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration) of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"Ram Raj has been the model of our good governance. We are fortunate that Chhattisgarh is the 'nanihal' of Lord Ram [the place of his maternal grandparents] and it is also fortunate that 'Pran Pratistha' of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will take place on January 22," Sai said, according to a statement issued by the Chhattisgarh government.

He further said the state's rice millers' association has sent 300MT of aromatic rice to Ayodhya for the ceremony, while their farmers are also going to dispatch vegetables for the event.

"There will be an atmosphere of festivity across the state on January 22. Like Diwali, diya [lamp] will be lit on the day. The state government has decided that there will be a dry day in the entire state on January 22," he added.

Pran-Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the Pran-Pratishtha of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22.

Vedic rituals for the ceremony in the temple town will begin on January 16, a week before the event. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony.

A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed. Several tent cities are being set up in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand consecration.