Ayodhya: Police barricades, yellow banners, walls with a fresh coat of paint and the sounds of bhajan mark parts of Ayodhya. The city is awaiting its big day Wednesday, when the first brick will be laid for the Ram temple. Ayodhya is decked up for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ that will be attended at the Ram Janmabhoomi by 175 people. The Ram temple guest list has been made very carefully with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on top of it.
Concerned over the spread of coronavirus, the authorities are encouraging others not to come to the temple town. Instead they are asking the devotees to celebrate the occasion at their homes. The ground-breaking ceremony will be telecast live.
Roads leading to Ayodhya display hoardings with the picture of the proposed Ram temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram. The deity of Ram Lalla is now housed in a makeshift temple.
Around the town’s Hanumangarhi area both police sirens and ‘bhajans’ in praise of Ram are being heard. The Hanumangarhi area is named after a well-known temple which Modi will visit Wednesday.
Most of the shops in the locality wear a new look, with their fronts painted in bright yellow. A large number of policemen were deployed there Tuesday. Some sat in the sweet shops, waiting for their next instructions. Roads leading into the area are barricaded. Yards of yellow cloth and marigold garlands were being hung on poles.
Even on the day before the event, security checks on vehicles heading to Ayodhya have begun.The checks begin from adjoining Barabanki district on the Lucknow-Ayodhya road. Policemen take down details, including mobile numbers of the travellers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar said the focus of the force is on maintaining the COVID-19 protocol. “So we are not going to allow any outsider to enter Ayodhya city,” Kumar said. Prohibitory orders are also in force and not more than four people will be allowed to gather. The markets and shops will remain open but with strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol,” he added.
The police officer however said Ayodhya residents will be allowed in if they produce any identification document. “We are also carrying out random checks on people living in Ayodhya to ensure that no outsiders are staying here,” he said.
The city’s temples and mosques will remain open, but no other religious event – except for the bhoomi pujan – will take place Wednesday. Pickets have been set up at sensitive points in the city.