There is a unique bank in the land of Lord Ram where money is not important and the only reward its 35,000 account holders get is peace of mind, faith and spirituality! What attracts the attention of devotees and tourists visiting the newly built Ram temple is the ‘International Shri Sita Ram Bank’. Stored here are pamphlets with “Sitaram” written on every page.

The spiritual bank was established in November 1970 by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, and has over 35,000 account holders in India and abroad including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Nepal, Fiji. UAE and other countries.

The bank has a collection of Rs 20,000-crore ‘Sitaram’ pamphlets given by devotees of Lord Ram. Bank manager Punit Ram Das Maharaj said the bank has seen an increase in the number of daily visitors after the grand temple’s consecration ceremony last month.

The bank provides free booklets and red pens to devotees and keeps track of each account. One has to write “Sitaram” at least 500,000 times to open an account in a bank and then issue a passbook.

“The bank has 136 branches across India and even abroad. Account holders also send us brochures through post and we maintain the ledger here,” Puneet Ram Das told PTI. Visitors also questioned the benefits of writing Sitaram and depositing it in banks, he said.

“I told them that the way we visit the temples of gods for inner peace, faith and virtue, similarly writing ‘Sitaram’ and depositing it in the bank is also a form of prayer. We are not saying God is for everyone Does his good and bad deeds have his own explanation? It’s a similar thing.”

“Devotees find solace and deep spiritual enrichment through writing, chanting and reciting the name of Lord Ram,” he added.

Puneet Ram Das explained that it is believed that by writing the name 8.4 million times, one can obtain ‘Moksha’. Jeetu Nagar from Gaya, Bihar, who has been coming to the bank for 14 years, says it is his only form of prayer.

“I no longer go to the temple to pray, but do this, and it always works for me whenever I’m feeling down or in trouble. I write throughout the year and deposit in the bank once a year. Mailing is also an option, but I prefer Love visiting in person,” he said.

Nagar said he had deposited the booklet with Rs 137 crore in his name. Suman Das, another account holder from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, said he had scrawled “Sitaram” 2.5 million times.

“When I told my neighbor about the bank, he thought I must be crazy, but I had strong faith. Whenever I wrote, I felt relieved and felt like my prayers were being heard,” he said.

On January 22, a new idol of Lord Ram was consecrated at the Grand Temple in a consecration ceremony presided over by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hundreds of thousands of people watched the pran pratishtha (consecration) ceremony on television at their homes and nearby temples, forming part of a historic event held just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)