Lord Ram To Wear Hand-Stitched Navratna Attire On Bhoomi Pujan On Temple Site In Ayodhya

Preparations are going on in full swing in Ayodhya for the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony, scheduled on 5 August, for the construction of a Ram Mandir at Lord Ram's birthplace site.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, as per reports, is going to lay the foundation stone for the building of the temple, which was approved by a Supreme Court judgement in November last year.

Now according to a report by news agency IANS, Lord Ram, his brothers Laxman, Bharat, Shatrughan and Lord Hanuman, will wear new clothes, made of velvet with exquisite embroidery and embellished with gem stones on the day of the Bhoomi Pujan.

President of Ramdal Seva Trust, Pandit Kalki Ram, will present the special costumes to the idol.

These costumes will be fitted with gems and jewels of nine varieties making it a Navratna attire.

PM Modi is likely to be accompanied by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath.

Invitation has also been sent to Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, other BJP leaders such as Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.

Bhagwat Prasad, who is stitching the clothes for the idols, said, "Lord Ram will wear a green attire since the Bhoomi Pujan is being done on Wednesday and the colour for this day is green. The attire will have a red and yellow border. The clothes for the other idols will be equally well embellished and rich."

Bhagwat Prasad and his family have been stitching clothes for Lord Ram for almost four generations now.

"Even before I was born, my family was stitching clothes for Lord Ram. We follow colour therapy for the deity and the Lord wears white clothes on Monday, red on Tuesday, green on Wednesday, yellow on Thursday, cream colour on Friday, blue on Saturday and pink on Sunday," he said.

On the occasion, the entire Ayodhya city will be illuminated with lakhs of 'diyas' (earthen lamps) from 3 to 5 August.

"We have to make this auspicious hour reach every corner of the country and make Ayodhya the pride of India and the world. There will be 'Deepotsav' at every house and temple on nights of 3, 4 and 5 August. Cleanliness should be the first condition and this is an opportunity for Ayodhya to set an example through self-discipline," CM Yogi had said during his visit to Ayodhya on 25 July to check on the preparations.

(With inputs from IANS)