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This is an archive article published on December 17, 2004
King Gyanendra receives VHP’s Ram ki Baraat
Ahead of the Nepal King’s visit next week, the VHP today led Lord Ram’s wedding procession into the hill state. The delegation of ...
Written by NIRMALA GANAPATHY
December 17, 2004 12:00 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
Ahead of the Nepal King’s visit next week, the VHP today led Lord Ram’s wedding procession into the hill state. The delegation of 450 devotees from Ayodhya included VHP chief Ashok Singhal, Acharya Giriraj Kishore and president of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
A procession of 40 vehicles, which had started from Ayodhya on December 6, reached Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, for the yearly ceremony marking the marriage of Sita and Ram. The ‘‘baraatis’’ had travelled 1,100 km to reach the town in Dhanush district.
The ceremony is held every year but this is the first time in over 40 years the VHP took out a procession from Ayodhya.
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‘‘This Vivah Panchami ceremony will help strengthen people-to-people relations. And this will help strengthen Indo-Nepal relations by establishing brotherly relation between Mithila and Ayodhya,’’ said Bimalendra Nidhi, Nepal’s Minister for Education and Culture at a Dharma Sabha in the evening.
In the morning, Nepal King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev flew in to inaugurate the ceremony. For the king’s visit, which lasted 30 minutes, the Janaki temple was cordoned off for the pilgrims.
The king walked into the temple to the chant of ‘‘Jai Shri Ram’’. A framed portrait of Ram and Sita and a metal work of Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman standing in a row, which were brought carefully packed from Ayodhya, were gifted to the king by VHP members and sants of the delegation. Ashok Singhal and Kishore arrived later.
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