New Delhi: As the countdown to Lord Ram’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’ begins on January 22 begins at Ayodhya, the entire country and even the world, is in the grip of the Ram fervor. Despite the biting cold, Paris is gearing up for a Rath Yatra, 24 hours before the actual event in India.
Indians living in Paris have organised two events to celebrate the “glory of Lord Ram” on January 21 under ‘Ayodhya Mandir Mahotsav’.
First, there will be a ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ in which Lord Ram will be taken across the main points of the French capital. There will also be elaborate Puja and Aarti, distribution of Prasad followed by a brief cultural performance. The ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ will start at 12 pm from Place De La Chapelle and finish at Place De Trocadero — where the iconic Eiffel Tower is— at 3 pm. The yatra will start by offering prayers and ‘Vishwa Kalyan Yagna’ at a Ganesha temple at 10.30 am at La Chapelle, organisers told News18. After that, the yatra will pass by Place De La Republique, Musée de Louver (Louver Museum), the iconic Arc De Triomphe and finally reach Place De Trocadero.
Avinash Mishra, the main organiser and also president of Overseas Friends of BJP in France, told News18, “We are expecting 150 to 200 people to join the yatra. But we are expecting more than a thousand people to assemble near the Eiffel Tower for the Puja and cultural programme. Already more than 400 have registered with us. That number will swell.” He further said one of the concerns of the organisers is the harsh cold conditions in Paris. “We want to wrap up everything by 4 in the evening,” he was quoted as saying.
The chariot on which Lord Ram will travel across the main points of Paris will be a reminder of the ‘Rath Yatra’ of the 90s when BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani began his journey from Somnath on September 25, 1990 — Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary — to culminate at Ayodhya on October 30, after traversing 10,000 km.
After the completion of the ‘Ram Rath Yatra’ at Place De Trocadero, the action will shift to Eiffel Tower. “There will be Puja as well as the Aarti. Huge cutouts of Lord Ram have been ordered, which will adorn areas around the Eiffel Tower. We will also have a cultural event where songs of Lord Ram will be performed. We have invited saints as well who will deliver speeches there. We will also distribute Prasad,” Mishra told News18.
