Darshan of Ram temples, strict routine, fasting: PM Modi is doing rituals like this before ‘Pran Pratishtha’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Kerala where he will visit two important temples in Thrissur district. He started his day by offering prayers at the famous Lord Krishna temple of Guruvayur wearing the traditional attire ‘Mundu’ and ‘Veshti’ (white shawl).

He visited the historic Veerabhadra temple at Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh, which has great significance with the Jatayu episode in the Ramayana. He will also offer prayers at Thriprayar Sri Rama Swamy Temple in Thrissur district later today.

The visit to temples in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala comes days ahead of the massive ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Monday. Last week the PM was in Nashik where he offered prayers at the Kalaram Temple.

’11 day ritual’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that he is observing the 11-day ritual, a spiritual endeavour, in which he will offer prayers at various temples across India associated with Lord Ram before the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.

“Only 11 days are left for the consecration of Ramlala in Ayodhya. I am fortunate to witness this auspicious occasion. God has asked me to represent the people of India during the ceremony. Keeping this in mind, I am starting 11-day special rituals from today,” the Prime Minister said in a video message on Friday.

As part of his 11-day ritual, PM Modi will sleep on the floor if possible, wake up early and pray to God, do chanting and meditation, do quiet exercise, observe silence for certain periods of the day, eat little and only sattvic food. Read religious texts, maintain cleanliness and do your own work.

Nashik temple visit

The Prime Minister began his ‘ritual’ on Friday by offering prayers at the Shri Kala Ram temple located on the banks of the Godavari in Nashik’s Panchavati area. He offered prayers at Shri Kala Ram Temple located on the banks of Godavari in Nashik, Maharashtra.

Interestingly, among the many places mentioned in the Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’, Panchavati has a special place because Lord Rama spent many years of his exile in the Dandakaranya forest with Mother Sita and Lakshmana.

It is believed that Panchavati was a part of the Dandakaranya forest mentioned in the epic Ramayana. According to religious beliefs, this is the place where Lord Shri Ram and Mata Janaki stayed by building a hut during their exile. PM heard the war story about Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya at this place.

PM Modi offered prayers at Lepakshi temple

PM Modi, who was in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, visited the historic Veerabhadra temple at Lepakshi in Sri Satyasai district and performed special puja at the temple, which has great significance in Ramayana and Hinduism.

The temple has significance in the Hindu epic Ramayana as it is believed that the bird Jatayu, the giant eagle, chased Goddess Sita after her abduction by Ravana. Dying Jatayu fell here after informing him of Goddess Sita’s captivity and when Rama reached there, he saw the bird and granted it ‘moksha’.

Modi sang songs in praise of Lord Ram, listened to special hymns sung in Telugu praising the deity and also watched a puppet show of Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Ravana on the epic Ramayana.

Visit to Krishna Temple in Guruvayur

Earlier today, Modi offered prayers at the famous Lord Krishna temple in Guruvayoor, also known as the Dwarka of the South. In the centuries-old temple, Lord Vishnu is worshiped in the form of Krishna and attracts many visitors from across the country.

This temple, dedicated to the youthful form of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, has many legends associated with it. According to a famous legend, Lord Krishna appointed his charioteer, Udhava, to protect the idol of Vishnu in Dwarka from being worshipped.

Triprayar Sri Ramaswamy Temple

The Prime Minister will also offer prayers at the Thriprayar Sri Rama Swamy Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Rama and is located in Thriprayar, Thrissur.

According to legends, the deity of Lord Rama was worshiped by Lord Krishna in Dwarka. When Lord Krishna left his mortal body, this idol of Lord Rama drowned in the sea and was later found by some fishermen near Chettuwa area of ​​Kerala.

PM will follow strict routine in next few days

The PM is already on a limited vegetarian diet as part of his daily routine along with meditation and prayers as part of the ritual that will last for 11 days.

Prime Minister Modi will visit some more places associated with Lord Ram in the next few days. As part of his ‘ritual’, he has been on a limited fast since Friday and is eating only once a day.

According to sources, from Friday he can eat only fruits during the day. He will keep a complete fast on the day of Pran Pratistha i.e. Monday. He would also be sleeping on a wooden plank on the floor covered with a blanket.

According to Swami Dipankar, one can also remain silent for some time during the day during the ritual and chant Lord Ram along with Sunderkand recitation. One should not cut one’s hair or nails during the ritual.