Ram darbar consecration at Ayodhya: What this means, which is the ‘only temple' where Ram is worshipped as king
The pran prathistha in Ayodhya last January was a grand affair, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and scores of other VIPs. The ceremony this time was simpler.
While the consecration last year was for the idol of Ramlala, or Ram the child, this pran pratistha was of the Ram Darbar, or Ram as the king, surrounded by wife Sita, brother Lakshmana, and devoted ally Hanuman.
While the Ram Darbar can be found in many Indian homes, there is only one temple in India where Ram is worshipped as the king. Which temple is that? In which other forms in Ram worshipped? We explain.
Why the second pran pratishtha
Consecration is the formal process that transforms an idol into a deity, which can be worshipped and grant boons. You can read in detail about the process and significance of pran pratishtha here.
Since Ayodhya is both the birthplace and the kingdom of Ram — the seventh avatar of Vishnu — the temple honours him in both forms. Ramlala, or Balak Ram, or Ram the child, is worshipped as a symbol of purity and innocence, in the vatsalya (tenderness) form of bhakti (devotion).
Ram the king is worshipped as a symbol of justice and peace. Ramrajya (the reign of Ram) in the Hindu tradition is symbolic of an ideal state, a land where people live in harmony under a fair and efficient rule.
However, interestingly, the one temple in India dedicated to Ram as king does not worship him as the king of Ayodhya alone.
The Ramraja temple is located in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. Acharya Jai Prakash Tripathi from Kashi, the priest who led the recent consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, told The Indian Express, 'The consecration in Ayodhya was of the Ram Darbar, or the court of Ram, where He is featured along with Mata Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman. The Ram Darbar symbolises Ram as both king and head of family, who inspires love and devotion and dispenses justice. The only temple which worships Ram as the king is located in Orchha, where he is worshipped as the king of Orchha.'
The Orchha temple was built during the reign of Madhukar Shah (1554–1592) of the Bundela dynasty. Legend goes that while Madhukar Shah was a devotee of Lord Krishna, his wife, Queen Ganesh Kunwari, was a devotee of Lord Ram. Once, the king wanted to visit Braj-Mathura with the queen. Ganesh Kunwari, however, had had a dream where Lord Ram directed her to build a temple for Him. She, thus, wanted to go to Ayodhya.
Incensed, Madhukar Shah said she could go to Ayodhya, but should come back only if she brought Ram with her.
The queen then went to Ayodhya and prayed for months. When Lord Ram did not appear, the dejected Ganesh Kunwari threw herself into the Sarayu river. Here, an idol of Ram appeared in her arms. The Lord, however, put several conditions before going to Orchha.
First was that he would be worshipped as the king of Orchha, second was he would travel only in the Pushya nakshatra (a certain alignment of stars and planets), and the third was that wherever the idol was first put down would be his home.
The queen accepted. When the king heard the news, he was overjoyed and ordered the construction of the Chaturbhuj temple to receive the idol.
Once back, Ganesh Kunwari put the idol in her chambers at night, intending to move it to the temple the next day. However, the idol refused to budge. Thus, it is the queen's palace which is the Ramraja temple today. The Chaturbhuj temple stands next to it, dedicated to Vishnu.
The Ramraja temple does not have the shikhara, or the spire above the sanctum sanctorum that is a standard feature of temples, pointing to its origin as a palace. It has arched entrances and domed chhatris, more in keeping with a palace.
'Because the deity here is a king, it gets a guard of honour. Even today, four policemen from the Madhya Pradesh police are assigned to the temple. The aarti here has a martial note to it, and is accompanied by a gun salute. Also, distinguished guests are offered a beera (betel nut) and ittar (perfume), as they would at a king's palace, as opposed to prasad (an offering of sweets) in temples,' Avinash Pathak, the District Informatics Officer of Tikamgarh, where Orchha is located, told The Indian Express.
In what other forms is Ram worshipped?
Shiv Prasad Pandey, Sanskrit teacher at DAV Post Graduate College in Varanasi, told The Indian Express that apart from Ramlala and Raja Ram, the other form is Kodanddhari Ram, or Ram the warrior carrying his bow and arrow. 'This form is quite popular in south India,' Pandey said.
Yashee is an Assistant Editor with the indianexpress.com, where she is a member of the Explained team. She is a journalist with over 10 years of experience, starting her career with the Mumbai edition of Hindustan Times. She has also worked with India Today, where she wrote opinion and analysis pieces for DailyO. Her articles break down complex issues for readers with context and insight.
Yashee has a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Presidency College, Kolkata, and a postgraduate diploma in journalism from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, one of the premier media institutes in the countr
... Read More
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Embassy of West Arctica in Ghaziabad? Police bust fake missions of non-existent nations in Kavi Nagar
Man posed as diplomat, promised foreign job placements Fake passports, seals, and cash recovered in raid Live Events Accused linked to controversial figures, faces earlier charges (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a man from Ghaziabad for operating a fake embassy from a rented house while posing as a diplomat of non-existent countries, including " West Arctica ". The accused, Harsh Vardhan Jain , was taken into custody on Tuesday following a raid by the Noida unit of the to officials, preliminary investigation revealed that Jain falsely claimed to be a consul or ambassador representing fictional micronations like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia. He allegedly used his fake identity to broker job placements abroad for companies and STF said Jain had created fake documents and morphed photographs showing him with top Indian dignitaries such as the prime minister and the president to make his claims appear Jain's arrest, the STF seized four vehicles with fake diplomatic number plates, 12 forged diplomatic passports, two fake PAN cards, 34 rubber stamps of different countries and companies, and two fake press agency also recovered Rs 44.7 lakh in cash, foreign currency, documents linked to several companies, and 18 more fake diplomatic number plates. Fake seals purportedly from the Ministry of External Affairs were also Director General of Police Amitabh Yash said, 'The accused was running the bogus embassy from a rented house and projected himself as a consul or ambassador of non-existent countries such as West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, and Lodonia, and moved around in vehicles bearing fake diplomatic number plates.'During interrogation, Jain claimed he had links in the past with controversial godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Officials added that in 2011, he had been booked in a case involving possession of an illegal satellite phone.A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Kavi Nagar police station. The STF said further proceedings are underway to investigate the full extent of the racket and any additional people or companies involved.
The Print
33 minutes ago
- The Print
CM Naidu meets Indian High Commissioner in Singapore, investors
'Andhra Pradesh offers abundant opportunities for investment across multiple sectors,' said Naidu in an official release. He said that Andhra Pradesh is the most suitable destination for global investments, highlighting strengths in the green energy, electronics, ports, logistics and manufacturing sectors. Amaravati, Jul 27 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, as part of his five-day visit to Singapore, met the Indian High Commissioner and several investors on Sunday and showcased the state's vast potential. The CM held talks with Indian High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule, who shared insights into Singapore's achievements in diverse areas, its robust economic growth and the effective public policies being implemented there. Naidu shared details of the state's newly introduced policies, aimed at attracting investments across various sectors. The state has set an ambitious target of producing 160 gigawatts of green energy, he added. He informed the High Commissioner that green hydrogen projects have already been launched in Visakhapatnam (in partnership with NTPC) and Kakinada. Under the India Quantum Mission, Andhra Pradesh is set to establish the country's 'first-ever Quantum Valley' in Amaravati, said Naidu, adding that global tech leader Google is setting up a data center in Visakhapatnam. Highlighting Andhra's industrial potential, the CM said Rayalaseema is ideal for defence and aerospace units and urged support to make the state a gateway for Singaporean investments. Ambule informed the CM that on several sectors, the Singaporean companies are exploring investment opportunities in Andhra Pradesh, including electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, shipbuilding, port operations, data centers and pharmaceuticals. According to the release, major Asia-Pacific firms headquartered in Singapore, including STT (ST Telemedia)–which specialises in digital infrastructure and data centers and Keppel Corporation–which operates in infrastructure, energy, and urban development have shown interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, Equinix, a global leader in data centers and internet connectivity services and PSA International-a port operating company and logistics firms have shown interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh. The meeting also focused on collaboration in fields such as artificial intelligence, startups, medical device research, and academic partnerships between universities in the southern state and Singapore. Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh shared plans for expanding higher education institutions while Municipal Minister P Narayana presented state's housing schemes, inspired by Singapore's successful public housing model. Later, Naidu met the representatives from Surbana Jurong, a global urban infrastructure company who has shown interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh and invited them to join large-scale housing projects under the state's 'Housing for All' initiative. The CM explained that the state is focusing on infrastructure development projects and highlighted the development of 20 ports and 15 airports, positioning itself as a logistics hub. Similarly, Eversendai Engineering, a Malaysia-based construction firm, has shown interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh after its chairman Tan Sri Dato' AK Nathan met Naidu. They discussed plans to set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing factory and integrated training center in the state, with Visakhapatnam or Krishnapatnam shortlisted as possible locations. The proposed factory, spread over two lakh square meters, will aid nationwide product distribution, boost industrial growth, and create large-scale employment opportunities across Andhra Pradesh's emerging industrial zones, said the release. Eversendai also expressed interest in Amaravati's infrastructure projects and proposed a structural engineering training center with IIT Tirupati and IIIT Sri City as knowledge partners. PTI MS GDK KH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
34 minutes ago
- The Print
BSF gets 5k body cameras, biometrics capturing devices for Bangladesh border
The two policy decisions to bolster BSF capabilities at this front have been taken in the wake of the stepped up security arrangements along the border following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024. Official sources in the security establishment told PTI that a select number of border outposts (BOPs) of the force along the 4,096 kms front are also being equipped with gadgets to capture biometrics like finger prints and iris (eyes) scan of illegal Bangladeshis for sharing this data to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO). New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) More than 5,000 body-worn cameras are being provided to Border Security Force troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border as part of a measure to record visuals and evidence of deporting illegal Bangladeshis apart from instances of criminals attacking the personnel on duty. The sources said the Union home ministry recently approved these two proposals of the BSF headquarters following a 'comprehensive review' of the security situation along the Bangladesh border. About 5,000 body-worn cameras are being sent in two batches to BSF troops guarding the India-Bangladesh international border. These cameras are night-vision enabled and can record about 12-14 hours of footage, the sources said. The cameras will be helpful in recording the facts and evidence when BSF troops deport illegal Bangladeshis or engage with miscreants to stop cross-border crimes like drugs, cattle and fake Indian currency notes (FICN) smuggling apart from human trafficking and infiltration, they said. The recordings will also act as evidence in cases where BSF troops are attacked by criminals from both the countries, the sources said. Bangladesh and its force Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been claiming at bilateral forums that their nationals are being killed by the Indian side using extraordinary force and in an unjustified manner while the BSF has always maintained it opens non-lethal or lethal fire as a last resort to save the life of the troopers, the sources said. These instances will be recorded now by these body-worn cameras and act as proof when required for an investigation, they said. The sources said some select and 'vulnerable' BSF BOPs from the point of view of cross-border infiltration are also being installed with biometrics data recording machines that will capture the fingerprints and eye scans of illegal Bangladeshis caught by the BSF on this front. This biometric data will be shared with the FRO to create an evidence-based database against infiltrators and illegal Bangladeshis trying to sneak into India, they said. The Union home ministry, post the Pahalgam terror attack, has asked all states to check and deport illegal Bangladeshis living in their jurisdictions. As per official data, the BSF, till July 15 this year, has apprehended 1,372 Bangladeshis infiltrating into India from this front while it caught or was handed over by various state police forces over 3,536 such men and women while crossing over from India to the other side. The recorded figures for last year were 2,425 (incoming) and 1,049 (outgoing). As many as 77 instances of attack on BSF personnel by miscreants from both India and Bangladesh have been recorded last year at the border while 35 such incidents have been reported till June this year on this front, according to the data. PTI NES KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
