'Wedding Of The Season', And For All To Come: How Ayodhya Is Planning To Celebrate First Vivah Panchami After Ram Mandir's Return

While the Vivah Panchami is set to be celebrated at Janakpur Dham in Nepal on 6 December, Lord Ram's Tilakotsav ceremony will take place on 18 November in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Vivah Panchami is the wedding celebration of Lord Ram and Devi Sita, observed every year on the fifth day of Shukla paksha of Margasheersh month, as per the Hindu calendar.

However, this will be the first Vivah Panchami since Lord Ram's pran-pratishtha at the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya on 22 January this year.

"This time, before the first Vivah utsav following the arrival of Prabhu Shri Ram at His palace, there will also be a special Tilakotsav ceremony for him," Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Ksehtra said.

For this purpose, materials for the tilak will be sent from the Raj Mahal of Maa Sita located in Janakpur. These offerings will include clothing, jewellery, various sweets, dry fruits, fruits, and other items.

For the first time, 251 tilak-hars (those performing the tilak ceremony) from Janakpur Dham, the in-laws’ place of Prabhu Shri Ram, will come to Ayodhya to perform the tilak, bringing with them 501 types of offerings.

"The tilak-hars will depart on 16 November and arrive in Ayodhya on 17 November. The Tilakotsav ceremony will then take place on 18 November" the Ram Mandir trust added.

After this, preparations for the grand "Ram Baraat" in Ayodhya will begin. Before the procession, Lord Ram will be adorned like a groom. According to Hindu customs, rituals like Mangala Puja, the turmeric ceremony, and the mehendi ceremony will also take place.

Rajendra Singh Pankaj, secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), shared that this year, Lord Ram’s procession will travel to Janakpur Dham in Nepal on 26 November.

"Just as the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram in Ayodhya was celebrated with grandeur, the wedding ceremony will also be conducted with great pomp," he was quoted as saying by ETV Bharat.

VHP's north Bihar unit has begun preparing for Ram Baraat's halt at Sheohar when it will go from Ayodhya to Janakpur. The Baraat will pass through Sheohar on 30 November.