West Bengal: Midnapore gets Ram Sita temple a week before Ayodhya event
Times of India | 15 January 2024
MIDNAPORE: Midnapore is set to get a Ram Sita Hanuman temple on Monday, just a week before the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22.
Some years ago, an agency had started work on a water project under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) scheme at Gandhi ghat. During the work, a portion of a Ram Sita Hanuman temple on the river bank had been reportedly damaged.
Midnapore municipality chairman Soumen Khan said the agency, appointed by the civic body, had rebuilt the temple. Funds for the work were not spent from the civic body's coffers, he added.
The rebuilt Ram Sita Hanuman temple is on the banks of the Kansai river in Midnapore.
Marking the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, the temple will be inaugurated by Midnapore Trinamool MLA June Maliah at 10am on Monday. The municipality has got a team of 10 priests from Varanasi to perform Ganga Aarti at the ghat around 6pm the same day. On Sunday, preparations were on in full swing for the inauguration.
Amit Pandey, a priest of the temple, said: "Rituals for the inauguration of the temple will start around 9am and the yagna will continue till afternoon. The idols of Ram, Sita and Lakshman will be placed on the same altar at the temple while the idols of Bajrangbali and Mahadev will be kept beside them. The temple will be inaugurated on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti."
Khan said: "Decorative lighting, including the 'I Love Midnapore' board, has been installed at Gandhi ghat. The beautification of the river bank is also going on. During Makar Sankranti and Mahalaya, many devotees come here for rituals. Arrangement is made for Ganga Aarti on every 'Purnima tithi' at the ghat."
Sambhunath Chatterjee, a former local Congress councillor, said: "Rama and Sita are worshipped as gods. Religious rituals must be there, but people expect better civic services from the municipality. The chairman has invited me to the inaugural ceremony of the temple. If time permits, I will go."
BJP's spokesperson in the district, Arup Das, said: "Everyone will have to take refuge in Lord Ram and it is good that people have understood this. The more Ram temples come up, the more beneficial it will be for society."
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