Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday flagged off a team of workers from Ram Temple in Raipur to conduct ‘Bhandara’ in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ram.

After praying at the temple for the happiness, prosperity, and well-being of the people of the state, the Chhattisgarh chief minister said it was a special occasion for all of us.

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A team of Ram’s devotees, along with cooks from the state, the ‘nanihaal’ (mother’s parental home) of Lord Ram, is leaving for Ayodhya to conduct ‘Bhandara’ (public feast) for the devotees arriving there for ‘Ram darshan’.

On January 22, the Ram Lalla Praan Pratishtha ceremony was organised in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in the presence of saints and mahatmas from all over the country. It was an occasion to cherish with Prime Minister Narendra Modi presiding over the ceremony. To quote CM Sai, the glowing divine light of our ‘Bhancha’ Ram Lalla was mesmerizing.

The chief minister expressed joy to witness the country and the entire world celebrating the ‘Praan Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram after years of wait. Particularly Chhattisgarh, being the ‘nanihaal’ of Ram, is overjoyed by this occasion, which reflected in the festivities across the state.

“Chhattisgarh is the land of Mata Kaushalya. We, the people of Ram’s ‘nanihaal’, express our devotion to Lord Ram in various ways. We have sent aromatic rice and vegetables as an offering to him on the day of his Praan Pratishtha. A team of doctors from Satya Sai Hospital also went to Ayodhya to provide health care. A six-member committee is leaving for Ayodhya to conduct bhandara in Ayodhya and serve Ram devotees for sixty days, said the chief minister.

He thanked and congratulated everyone for their contribution and cooperation, wishing for the constant blessings of Ram on Chhattisgarh.

Chief Minister Sai, while congratulating the programme coordinator Dharamlal Kaushik, said providing food is an act of great virtue. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange ‘bhandara’. It is a noble act of service. Now, the people of Chhattisgarh will be able to travel to Ayodhya via train. The first train will depart from Durg. Later, devotees will be able to leave for Ayodhya from Raipur, Bilaspur, and then Ambikapur stations in four different trains. Under the Modi ki Guarantee, our government will take the people of Ram’s Nanihaal on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya Dham for the darshan of Ramlala.

Speaking on the occasion, former Assembly Speaker and MLA Dharamlal Kaushik said Ayodhya is witnessing a huge rush of devotees. Ram is the ‘Bhancha’ of Chhattisgarh and Chhattisgarh has taken care that the devotees going to Ayodhya for his darshan do not remain hungry. Everything from grains to big utensils and cooks is reaching Ayodhya. Free food will be provided through ‘Shabri Prasadalaya’ for 60 days in Ayodhya.

MLA Sampat Agrawal said it is noteworthy that Sampat Agrawal has united the Seva Samitis and Ram Sevaks from Chhattisgarh to serve the devotees in Ayodhya. These committees include Neelanchal Seva Samiti, Late Purushottam Agarwal Foundation, Kali Mandir Seva Samiti, Agrotech Society, and Akshat Foundation. He said that Seva Samitis from Chhattisgarh will run the ‘Shabri Prasadalaya’ on the banks of the Saryu River near Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Women and Child Development Minister Mrs. Lakshmi Rajwade, MP Sunil Soni, MLA Purandar Mishra, MLA Sampat Agarwal, MLA Guru Khushwant Saheb, MLA Motilal Sahu, co-coordinator of this program Mrs Lakshmi Verma, President of Rice Millers Association, Yogesh Agrawal, along with a large number of devotees were present on the occasion.